Resident Evil: Soul Survival
by Lezg33k
Summary: A different take on the events of Retribution. What if the kind, hippie, suburbanite Rain had survived and found out the true depths of darkness involved with the Umbrella corporation. How would she cope with not only the foreign world around her, but also the sins of Umbrella operatives; particularly Jill Valentine?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I absolutely, positively 100% do not own any part of the Resident Evil series in either film or videogame form. Screen Gems and Capcom do. Please don't sue me, I'm not making any money off of it.

**Spoiler Alert**: This entire series is based heavily on the events of Resident Evil: Retribution. Even the following 'Author's Note' contains spoilers. So, if you haven't seen the film, and have an issue with finding out plot points before viewing, please read no further and see the film. It's bad ass.

**Author's Note**: I really loved the concept of the clones in RE: Retribution. So much so that I literally couldn't get it out of my mind. I was also super excited to see Michelle Rodriguez and the character of Rain back in duplicate form. This is the spawn of those elements combined with the dissatisfaction of watching 'good' Rain bite it in the end. I decided to try to take up her story and let it extend past the film's offerings. And given the obscene amount of plot holes I feel there's not a whole lot of continuity to stick too.

**Thank You**: To Paul W. S. Anderson for creating a kick ass world with lots and lots of beautiful women. You rock at it.

**Resident Evil: Soul Survivor**

by LezG33k

Prologue

The sweet, roasted aroma of fresh brewed organic coffee filled the air inside the quaint kitchen of the Ocampo residence. Rain breathed in the welcome scent while tapping her fingers against the counter as if it would not only speed the efforts of the brewing mechanism, but also nurture her sense of patience in the wake of impending caffeinated satisfaction. Once finished, a slender arm flicked rapidly forward as lithe fingers grasped the handle to her pot of glory. After pouring the dark liquid into an oversized cup she took her seat at the island in the center of the room and grabbed the spoon that had been lavishly soaking in a bowl full of guiltless, cardboard flavored cereal.

When her free hand wasn't bringing the cup to her lips, it was caressing the smooth touchpad on her overpriced Mac. A splurge she made in the name of the cult of Apple. After rifling through her inbox for coupons she would never use, she switched gears and pointed her browser to Umbrella News. Concerned eyes squinted and a busy mouth stopped mid-chew as Rain took in the top story in the feed.

A virus; a very dangerous virus, had broken out in a nearby city and was rapidly making its way to outlying areas. Outlying areas which absolutely included her small subdivision.

Rain quickly swallowed the soggy mess that was in her mouth and clicked on a related video embedded on the page. A generic looking anchorman, with predictably plastic looking hair reported from the top of his news van parked at a local mall.

"Chaos, complete chaos is breaking out here," he looked as though he were standing in the middle of a tornado, but there was no wind whipping about. "Their numbers just seem to keep growing and experts believe this is due to spread by fluid to fluid transfer. Once bitten by the infected, it doesn't take very long for a person to transition completely into a violent entity with only one concern; death. We're now going back down the roof hatch into the van to try to navigate through the sea of infected and reach a safe distance away from the crowd. We'll be sending out updates as the situation permits."

The anchorman opened the hatch only to be ripped from the roof of the van and into its hull by a bloody set of arms. As the camera followed, Rain soon found herself face to face with the gruesome features of one of the infected. She physically jumped on her stool and screamed out in horror before the screen faded to black.

A repetition of the phrase "Oh my God" rang out to no one as she tried to wrap her head around what was actually happening in the world around outside. A few attempts at outgoing calls on her cell phone rendered nothing but a pre-recorded message notifying the subscriber that service was temporarily interrupted due to system overload. With shaky hands she stowed the device in her pocket and moved cautiously to the window for a peek outside. The immediate scene in front of her was quiet as a library; no noise, no movement. She started to breathe a sigh of relief until she caught a glimpse of something odd at the top of her line of sight.

Miles away a smoky helicopter swung in circles at full force as it careened toward the ground and resulted in a horrific, booming explosion.

"No," she said softly as a tear leaked down the side of her face. She moved a hand up to the window as if the act would somehow comfort the victims of the crash. It was only there for a few seconds before it was mirrored by the thud of a larger, bloodier mate on the other side..

A squeal erupted from her throat as she jumped back, only to watch the hand followed, by an arm and then a shoulder, connected to a neck, holding up a bloody mouth, resting under vacant eyes. They locked only for an instance with the girl on the other side of the door before the a fist brutally smashed through one of the glass panes and reached aggressively toward its prey.

Rain backed away in a state of shock. It was only by sheer luck she was pulled from out of it by the sharp, cool feel of a set of keys that had been resting on the counter. Pulled from her reverie she looked down at the keys and reasoned that the best possible form of action to take was driving away from the chaos as fast as possible. Her instincts proved sound as she lowered the keys and looked up to find a second infected ambling slowly toward her from the foyer.

"Shit!"

Rain rushed in the opposite direction toward the door that lead to her garage, fumbled with the handle lock and looked back noticing her attacker starting to charge with a vicious roar. With yet another expletive, she finally managed to unlock the door, enter and pull it to just as a resounding thud met the other side. Making her way to her energy efficient car with a sprint she opened the door and slammed it shut. Her unsteady hands made plugging the key into ignition far more difficult than it normally was, but with a twist the car came to life just as the integrity of the kitchen to garage door finally lost its battle with the infected on the other side.

"Shit, shit, shit, shiiiiiiiit!" she exclaimed as she opened the automatic garage door and experienced a barrage of thumps and thuds from the undead trying desperately to break through the vehicle.

Just as the car was thrown into reverse the beast clamped on and Rain's voice rang through the small space as her foot hammered on the gas. As she turned and braked once on the road he fell from the hood of the car. It only took a seconds hesitation to put the gear shift in drive and close her eyes as the car accelerated forward and a resounding crunch trumpeted the extinguishing of a very persistent monster. A short blood trail featured in her rearview mirror during the short glance she allowed herself, then was forgotten as she barreled through the quiet, then chaotic roads of a once perceived safe and boring place to live.

Maneuvering the streets of suburbia was normally one of the most mundane tasks Rain had ever experienced in her short life. The constant worry about 'Children at Play" and d-bag cops just trolling the streets for someone going above 25 mph took its toll on the vegetarian with a lead foot. She'd been issued more parking tickets than invites to neighborhood cookouts, but now, all bets were off.

It wasn't until she noticed the white pristine skin of a mother and daughter crossing the road in front of her that she'd even imagined using the break.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!" she repeated while slamming her foot on the forgotten pedal and did the same with her eyelids upon the chance she heard the horrible sound of impact.

When her eyes finally opened due to the absence of contact, she breathed a brief sigh of relief and then shouted out the window in an effort to save the former obstacles standing safely within inches from her front bumper.

"What are you doing? Get in the car!"

They stood there stunned for a few seconds and Rain panicked. Surely they had precious little time before the infected were on them. Finally the survival instinct set in and they moved quickly into the car only to have an unfriendly arm lurch for them both from the outside. The mother fought him off just as the car sped off.

A few brief moments passed with sparse spurts of speech interruptions that didn't truly resonate with either party. The occupants of the car barely contemplated the upside down flip as it gracefully flew over the pavement from a sudden unexpected impact.

Darkness. Then blurred darkness. Eyes straining to open and then closing as if under the influence of a vice grip.

Then release for one fleeting moment, before the chaos descended once more.

So many infected rushing the overturned vehicle... No, wait. Rushing past the vehicle... Toward the house with the mother and daughter.

Her panic for her momentary comrades was brief; overtaken by her innate need to survive.

"Oh shit, oh shit!"

Frantic movements finally forced themselves into place and the seatbelt relinquished its hold.

"Owww."

After regaining her bearings and twisting her body free of it's uncomfortable position, she was able to squeeze out of the open window and frantically survey her surroundings. The house the mother and daughter entered was not only locked, but crawling with un-dead. Seeking shelter there simply wasn't an option, so she decided to run as fast as she could to anywhere they were not.

"Good luck," she breathed softly; wondering if she meant it more for the departed family unit, or herself.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

She ran.

A lot.

She ran for what felt like hours, but she knew her perception was probably skewed due to the fear coursing through her veins.

Since abandoning the car she'd witnessed enough horror for a lifetime. So many monstrous creatures roaming the streets; creatures that were once people, feasting on other people that would soon experience that same cycle.

What was happening? Was this truly the end of the world? Where was the Army? The National Guard? Hell, a policeman would be nice at this point. But no one, no kind of organized authoritative group was anywhere in site. She was alone. Left to fend for herself. It certainly wasn't ideal.

Rain's disposition had always aligned itself with the more social end of the spectrum. It paired well with her pleasant disposition and positive outlook. But right now, she was finding it incredibly difficult not to simply break down and weep. Taking cover behind a nearby car, she at least allowed herself enough time to catch her breath.

"You need a plan," she said to herself. "You need to calm down and figure out what to do next and then you have to do that again and again until you're safe."

As her breathing settled back to a normal level, she could feel her body begin to calm. Allowing her brain the clarity it needed to assess the situation. She looked at her surroundings and decided being out in the open was serious liability. Though containment held its own set of risks, the vulnerability of visibility seemed like a far greater gamble.

She needed to get out of town and out of site all at the same time.

"The subway."

It was her best chance. And the revelation came not a moment too soon as her peripheral vision picked up a small cluster of undead ambling aimlessly, but in her direction. It was time to get back on the move.

* * *

Given her previous transportation situation, Rain had never any need to actually utilize the subway for it's designed purpose. This may have been why it came as a complete shock to her that all of the markings weren't in English. She shook her head, perplexed, and tried to understand what was going on; wondering briefly if she were perhaps stuck in some terrible dream. It wasn't long before her contemplation was interrupted by a familiar yet unfamiliar site: the mother and child that she'd tried to help before.

"Hey!" She called out as she sped up her pace to meet them. "Hey, great you guys made it!"

She took in the form of the woman before her and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What's with the S and M threads? And why is everything in Russian?"

Her confusion continued to grow even further once her new friend (well, what was hopefully her new friend, considering she had guns) finally started to speak.

"You know how to use one of these?" the short haired woman asked.

The idea was somewhat calming at first given that if she were offering her a weapon, it meant she didn't intend to use one on her; however, Rain wasn't exactly a huge fan of firearms.

"No, I don't really like guns," she explained.

"It's easy," she moved closer, placing the gun in the younger woman's hands while coming around to her back to better assist in the lesson.

"I don't think you understand," she replied, physically taking her cues, yet verbally protesting. "I marched on Washington against the NRA."

"It's just like a camera," her instructor didn't even pause with regard to her political alignment. "Just point and shoot."

The booming noise and jarring reverberation both scared and excited her. As she watched the marble pillar pop and burst from the impact of the tiny metal balls her heart felt something she'd nearly forgotten how to feel; safe.

"Congratulations, you're officially a bad ass," was the observation expressed mundanely by her tutor.

"Now, I need your help. There were some people that were supposed to meet me here and they're late. They can help us get out of here, but I have to find them first."

She moved to stand beside her daughter and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Becky, I need you to stay here and take care of her until I come back. You obviously need to watch out for the infected, but also stay as far away as you can from anyone wearing an umbrella uniform. They're far worse."

Rain was starting to realize getting a word in edgewise with this one was going to be not only tough, but futile. Her urge to argue, however, was halted by a gut feeling that seemed to indicate that her only chance of survival laid in the stoic figure. Although that stoicism seemed somewhat vulnerable to the child's advances. Becky both vocally and visibly was unhappy with her mother's choice to leave. The tender scene that unfolded before her seemed so completely of place in the dire atmosphere of the new world in which they were all now taking up residence.

In the end the child was reassured, and it would have been out of Rain's nature to decline her proposed objective. Saying no was simply out of the question, no matter how scary the idea of protecting a child seemed. She'd always been fully confident in her ability to take care of herself, but adding something cute, tiny and defenseless nearly overwhelmed her.

But what were the other options? This woman was her best way out, and she couldn't very well go into a firefight with the little girl.

So, she did the first thing that came to her mind when the exchange was over; she held out her hand.

"C'mon."

As the small digits wrapped around her own, a thought occurred and she turned back to address the exiting adult.

"Hey, wait, what's your name?"

When she asked she was met with a confused stare.

"If I'm going to watch your kid, I feel like I should at least know your name."

The woman looked strangely from the child to the adult holding her and back again.

"Alice," She finally answered. "My name is Alice."

Rain looked at her quizzically for a brief moment but then nodded with a half smile and turned with her charge.

"Ok, let's find some place to hide," she said, almost playfully.

"I met your sister," Becky both said and signed. "She's not very nice."

The brunette's brow furrowed for a second, but she simply shook her head and let it go.

Zombies were roaming the earth; it was no time to worry about some freak doppelganger being a total bitch.

* * *

The hiding place they'd found in subway ladies room certainly wasn't an idyllic setting for some cheesy babysitter flick, but for the end of the world it was pretty fantastic.

For one, they could go to the bathroom, which was convenient given the size of Becky's bladder. And then there was the added bonus of having running water readily available, which almost made their digs seem downright luxurious.

After being in a constant state of loneliness and fear for hours on end, the simple action of speaking softly to someone that needed her gave Rain a sense of solace. In the brief time they'd spent together she'd kept them safe. Something about all of that made her feel better in light of such an incredibly horrible circumstance.

The elation didn't last very long, though. The sounds of steel toed boots pounded on concrete and echoed throughout the marble surfaces of the underground transport station. Rain's jaw clenched before she put her finger to her mouth, signaling Becky to be silent. Stepping softly she moved to the entrance of the facilities and peeked around the corner.

An Umbrella S.W.A.T team was creeping closer to their location and she knew she had to make a decision fast about what needed to be done.

Moving swiftly back to Becky she asked her two quick questions.

"Do these still work?" she touched the young girl's hearing aids.

After a nod of the head asked something else.

"Can you count to 100?"

Another nod.

She swallowed hard, "Ok, I'm about to go out there and take care of something. And no matter what happens I don't want you to come out of this stall until you hear absolute silence and count to 100. Do you understand?"

"I'm scared," Becky mouthed.

Rain summoned her courage and responded.

"You don't need to be," she smiled and winked. "Because your mom is good. And good always triumphs over evil. She's going to save us both, but you have to be brave and not cry. Can you do that?"

She knew the odds of her statement being true were slim to none, but what was the harm in giving the child hope instead of fear. Every kid likes Santa Claus better than the boogeyman, right?

After receiving an assured nod, she stood up and breathed a worried "OK".

Another glance outside the facility revealed the strike team was gaining fast. She held her back to the wall, closed her eyes, gripped the gun and took in a deep breath.

"You can do this," she whispered before finally moving out and mumbling to herself as she ran out to attack, "I'm a badass, I'm a badass, I'm a badass."

* * *

Bullets seemed to rain up, down, forwards, even backwards as the inexperienced, yet brave warrior sprayed her attackers in rockstar fashion. And the favor was certainly returned in kind. Weaving, dodging, running and jumping somehow managed to save her from the barrage of metal flying her way and she found a temporary safe haven behind a marble column. Quite possibly the one she'd used earlier for target practice.

Bullets whizzed by her head at every attempt made to peek past and fire back. After too many close calls she finally decided to simply fire without aim or ambition until the magazine was bone dry.

Sooner than she would have liked, the firearm lost its reverberating kick and the rapid click of metal against metal signified the harsh embrace of futility.

The pounding of her heart was so loud she barely noticed that the return fire had ceased as well and it sounded as if someone was speaking to her about surrender, but she couldn't focus on the words. The next part of her plan, well the plan she'd just concocted in her head, was crucial. She needed to draw them away from the bathroom on the decent chance they went in there to search. This step simply involved running in the opposite direction, so fear of failure due to complexity was non-existent. Jumping down onto the train tracks she managed a full sprint for several yards before all breath left her body and it felt like her chest cavity completely collapsed.

Her body flew to the ground backwards with a slam as she tried to remember how to breathe. Eyes shut, she coughed and sputtered while feeling around her chest to try to find evidence of a bullet, or a full-on bomb, but nothing turned up. She must have run into something.

"Seventeen? Tsk, tsk," mocked a female voice above her. "I thought you were supposed to be severely opposed to violence."

She opened her eyes to find them blurred and overtaken by a pacing blonde figure in a purple, skin-tight bodysuit. Something red shone between her breasts. The best Rain could figure was that she'd been clothes-lined by her fair haired tormentor.

"You took out two of my men back there with your cowgirl tactics; that's going to be a problem for me." She knelt down rapidly and wrapped a hand around the girl's throat. "And I don't like problems."

Already having issues with her breathing, Rain knew she probably wasn't going to survive much longer. She wanted to make her last few moments count.

"Two men wouldn't have tipped the scales in your favor," she rasped, looking defiantly into green eyes that seemed to flicker oddly. "She's going to tear you apart if you catch up to her."

The eyes most definitely changed the instant the last sentence was out of her mouth. They were in the form of Umbrella's logo. The grip around her throat softened.

"Who is going to tear me apart?"

"Alice," Rain spouted venomously as the grip around her throat tightened and her face was pulled no more than a breath away from her attacker. She rasped in horror and then couldn't make any kind of noise.

"You just bought your worthless body a few more hours of life. Let's see how effective you are as bait, shall we?"

Before she could feel either relief or fear, the hand that was locked around her throat slammed down and everything faded to black.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Surely she can't be worth this much trouble," Carlos Oliveira grunted as he hefted the unconscious woman over his shoulder. "She's just a clone."

"So are you, but you obviously have your uses," Jill spouted, bored. "So was that little girl and Alice risked both her life and Ada Wong's to save her. Obviously determining the worth of a clone isn't your strong suit, Oliveira, so why don't you keep to silence and leave the evil scheming to the _person_ most qualified."

"At least she doesn't pose much of a threat," Agent Ocampo mused. "She can't shoot very well and I doubt Holly Housewife has any hand to hand combat skills. Which is more than I can say for this one."

She shoved the barrel of her assault rifle against a detained Ada Wong, whom only a brief while earlier had knocked her around quite a bit before capture. The offending party simply smirked in defiance.

Before Jill could bark out an order to cut the chatter the distinct sound of bullets popped in the distance coupled with a roar that was most certainly emanating from an Umbrella engineered beast. The entire team halted and grew quiet as they awaited orders from their leader. With a push of her communicator she was connected to The Red Queen.

"I need a movement report for the Moscow test facility."

The child's voice rang through, "Project Alice and three intruders closing on your location traveling at high speeds. Las Plagas and Bio-weapon in pursuit."

"She's coming back?" Oliveira asked incredulously.

"Yes, most likely for that burden you're carrying," she answered him. "Orders for interception?"

The Red Queen answered after a few beeps indicating that she was computing the data. "Seek mobile shelter immediately to avoid casualties from Las Plagas and Bio-weapon. Then await my signal to move forward onto the submarine hold. Project Alice and extraction team will be bottle necked and vulnerable to attack from the rear. Releasing Bio-Weapon now to nest in the elevator. We shall crush them from both sides."

"Affirmative. Everyone move now, look for a tank or the largest vehicle you can find."

Ada Wong's smirk grew wider. One, because she knew that Leon had a 1 in 4 chance of being one of the surviving members of the team. And two because of the destructive scene that was closing in on them.

Alice, in a busted Rolls Royce, lead a pack of soviet undead and what looked like a very big, very ugly dog straight toward the tunnels. It would have been mildly comical if the whole situation weren't so life threatening.

A powerful headache pulled Rain from the state of unconsciousness that she'd been enjoying. As she struggled to open her eyes she also groaned as the memories of what had happened came rushing back to her.

The world was ending. People were dying right in front of her. And she'd been captured by the bad guys.

Things really couldn't get much worse.

"She's waking up."

The familiar voice came from a source to her left. Once Rain's eyes focused on a more tactically dressed mirror image of herself, she blinked uncontrollably to see if it might change and the world would make more sense. Otherwise her previous thought of things not being able to turn worse was likely gravely mistaken.

"What?" Her mouth made sound independent of her will.

"I was wondering when she'd notice that," Oliveira mentioned as he cleaned his gun in the cramped vehicle. Rain had figured it was a tank of some sort, though it was stationary at the moment.

As if there were some force of nature destined to first read her mind and then prove her wrong, a voice could be heard over the squad's communication devices commanding them to move toward the submarine facility.

That must be where Alice was headed.

"I'm not going to cooperate with you by being some pawn in your orders to stop Alice," she threatened.

Jill, seated arms crossed in front of her, smirked and then cocked her head to the side.

"Those Seventeen models always seem to come out feisty," she stated.

The more militarily inclined 'Rain' cocked her side arm in spite.

"Thanks for proving my point," retorted the blonde.

"What are you talking about?" the prisoner asked.

"Must have lost a fair share of brain cells with that little hit you took to the head," Jill answered. "Have you really not yet figured it out?"

"Stop playing with her," Ada demanded steadily. "It's cruel."

"Something you know a great deal about, Ms. Wong," replied the blonde. "Would you care to tell our guest exactly what's going on since you used to be a such large part of it?"

Ada narrowed her eyes in anger, then cut them away to the floor. Something Alice had said earlier about the little girl had been bothering her; got her thinking about the hundreds of clones the company had created just to terrorize, torture and destroy.

"I didn't think so," Jill moved her attention back to the questioning party. "You're a clone. You were literally born, if you can call it that, yesterday. There are many copies that have come before. You have no parents, no friends, and no soul."

Rain felt every inch of her being crumbling apart as the words spilled out so cavalierly. Could this possibly be true? Was she a clone? As she noticed the tears starting to well up in her eyes as the realization seeped in, her anger grew and she knew that this was no time for a breakdown. If she lived through this ordeal, she'd allow herself the emotional collapse she so rightfully deserved.

"Is that why you're such a bitch? You're a soulless clone too?" She spat and recalled the tears.

Jill's smile grew wider and more malicious as she moved forward in her seat. "No, dear, I'm all woman."

"Used to be a woman," Ada corrected coolly. "Until Umbrella put that bug on her chest and turned her into a monster. Now she's nothing more than a shell of a human being taking orders from a computer. She has no real personal identity. No individual wants or desires."

Jill contemplated taking out the ex-Umbrella operative, given that she was being so insubordinate. They didn't really need her anymore given that they had the clone and it would be of more benefit to look after one unskilled hostage instead of the sneaky brunette. But she held off. Deciding in the end to simply torture her, by torturing the clone. For some odd reason, Wong seemed sensitive about the whole thing.

"No individual wants or desires?" She paused as if deep in thought and then looked back to the clone. "You know Seventeen, I used to have one of your models."

Rain could feel her heart beating faster and adrenaline starting to flood her veins. The idea that this thing in front of her might have had one of her... her... well just one of her a slave was enraging.

"It's true. In fact, I used to have her every night." Jill waited for the implication to set in and then proceeded. "Sometimes, even willingly."

The clone burst from her seat with a roar and wrapped her shackled hands around the blonde's throat. Never in her life, which apparently wasn't all that long, had she experienced such anger and hatred. She wanted blood, but it was only a few seconds before the rest of the team was on her, pushing her back to her seat. Quite a few gun barrels faced her, to keep her in line.

"What did I tell you?" Jill raised a hand to her neck. "Feisty."

"Destination acquired," the driver announced.

"Time for you to earn that extra time I allotted you, Seventeen."

The intentionally degrading mention of the number caused an ache in her chest. It was then that Rain decided that, though she may not be able to die as a human, she wouldn't die as a number. She would go down a hero.

Firefights are the metaphorical culmination of a tango bred with a game of roulette. Cover, fire, reload, cover, hit, miss, kill... be killed.

With her hands literally tied and no reputable combat training, there didn't seem to be much that Rain could do.

Jill felt fairly similar about the usefulness of the clone at this point. Without Alice there to make some ridiculous decision based on morals and ethics, they were stuck in a cold submarine hold with bullets flying and their direct objective out of reach.

"Condition: Project Alice," She verbally prompted The Red Queen.

"Life signs stable," was the reply.

Jill's jaw clenched in frustration as she pulled from cover to pump a few more rounds at the resistance.

"Condition: Bio-Hazard," she inquired once she returned.

"Unconscious."

"Damn it!'

Rain smiled as she guessed the news was in her favor just before a fallen operative crash landed at her side; startling her from her reverie. She looked around to see if anyone was paying attention and noticed that it wasn't the case. Surveying his body, it became evident that he'd dropped his gun somewhere out of reach. But he did have a tactical knife within arm's reach. Keeping her eyes on the rest of the strike team she swiftly and quietly pulled the knife from its sheath and stuffed it inside the sleeve of her jacket.

Before she could figure out the next step to take, her eyes fell upon a true face of bravery. One man, the last defending the front came out from behind the wall; taking both the dance and the game into his own hands. No more cover, no more magazines; just killing and being killed.

She wondered what he was feeling at in those final moments; fear, anger, contentment, peace. Maybe all of the above. She knew what all of those emotions felt like. Would she feel them when the end came to her? And if she did, did that mean she had a soul; like the one that was seeping out of the brave man dying right in front of her?

Her musings were cut brief by an explosion somewhere not far off. She chastised herself for allowing such sentiment in these dire times, but the mental flagellation didn't last long as the sound of freezing cold, rushing water started to pervade the area.

"What's that?" she asked without thinking.

"Another inconvenience," Jill answered before yelling to address the last member of her squad. "Ocampo! The submarine, help me move them."

The strong grip of her doppelganger heaved her to her feet and Rain jerked her arm away in anger, "Get your hands off of me. I can move just fine and I don't want to drown in this hell hole any more than you do."

She was answered with a shove to the back. "Then shut up and move faster."

It was at that point Rain wondered if it was masochistic to imagine throttling a mirror image of one's self.

"Cuff them together so we don't have to worry about too much movement," Jill ordered. "Do you have the Las Plagas virus?"

"In my vest," came the answer as agent Ocampo restrained the two hostages.

"Las Plagas?" Ada questioned. "Surely you don't plan to inject yourself with it?"

Agent Ocampo simply rolled her eyes and moved to the control panel.

"It'll turn you into a monster."

"You're wasting your breath," Jill interjected. "She wasn't programmed to care."

"Programmed?" Rain asked from her seat next to Ada.

Jill snickered. "It's why any of you clones have memories. They're there because we programmed them. I already told you that you were created yesterday, where do you think the rest of your memories came from?"

"No, this isn't right," Rain campaigned to her mirror image. "You don't have to do all of this, you don't have to listen to her."

"Can you please shut her up; I'm trying to drive a submarine. Besides, I'm about to become completely unstoppable. Why wouldn't I want that?"

"You people truly are evil," Rain directed her statement specifically at Jill.

"Now that's not very nice," Jill Argued. "Did Adam complain to God after his creation?"

"Scientists created me; you're just some brainwashed lackey. Stick to where you're better acquainted."

"They uploaded a line from a Broadway musical into your head? Those scientists really do have too much time on their hands."

"It'd be great if you guys could wrap up the 'science versus religion' debate," Agent Ocampo interjected. "We're about to break the surface. Worms, I hope you're prepared to wiggle on the hook."

Jill stood to ready herself then smirked at her verbal sparring partner, "If you somehow miraculously survive this, I think I'll keep you around for entertainment value."

"Oh, you'll be entertained. Believe me, lady, you have no idea what I've got up my sleeve," she palmed the hilt of the knife that resided just there.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The submarine shook and groaned as it broke through the icy ceiling above. The resistance from the tank it halted didn't assist in making the ride any smoother. All standing occupants had to grab onto something hanging from above to avoid falling over. Once it had finally settled they filed out, Rain and Ada being thrust to the front of the group. They both looked up with apologetic eyes toward the bodies emerging from the vehicle; knowing the liability they posed.

"Just the two of you?" Alice asked with a confidence the clone hoped was legitimate.

"It'll be enough," Jill replied in kind and then turned to her cohort. "Go ahead."

"Agent Ocampo raised the trigger syringe to the left side of her throat and took a deep breath before penetrating. The Las Plagas virus invaded her body and within seconds imbued her with colossal strength and resilience. When the call for attack came from Jill, she slammed Ada on the back of the head, rendering her unconscious, and charged toward the men while Jill made a run for Alice.

"Shit!" Rain exclaimed as she was pulled down by the dead weight. "Lady, I know I totally forgot your name, but I need you to wake up right now. We've got to move; we need to help them."

The sound of a great deal of bullets permeated the air and thudded into the figure standing just a few feet away from her. Her body, riddled with holes yet still standing. The small pieces of metal seemed to meld into her form, then wiggle through her body like insects, then simply fall out; melting the snow as soon as they touched it.

"Oh my God," Rain turned back to her anchor. "Like, you don't even understand how bad we need to go right now. Shit is getting ridiculously real."

After what seemed like years of trying to get the unconscious woman to stir, she finally realized she needed to seek out another option. Then she remembered the knife. Pulling it from her jacket sleeve she slammed it down between the break in the cuffs. Effectively separating each side. It was, of course, then that Ada began to awaken.

"Good! You're alive," Rain pulled her to her feet. "I know you've probably got a massive headache, but you're supposed to be some big bad fighter from what I've gathered, so we need to help them."

"Ok," Ada agreed, her eyes closed tensely in pain and her hand holding the back of her head. "Help Alice. Jill isn't to be underestimated, but she has a weakness. Remove the device on her chest and she'll stop fighting. The clone with the Las Plagas is a different story, she's nearly invincible. If you survive your fight with Jill you'll need to help us find a way to dispatch her."

Rain shook her head in amazement, "You should never ever give pep talks. Good luck anyway."

She then noticed the predicament Alice was in and broke out into a run. Jill was holding the dark haired hero up by the throat and about to grind her head into the rotating caterpillar tracks of the tank. As she approached them, her plan was to drive the knife directly into the base of the blonde's spine and pull her back away from the vehicle so Alice would be safe.

That plan failed.

Jill's heightened senses picked up on the impending tackle and instead of enacting a slow, painful death on her current enemy, she settled for bringing her head down on an uprising knee before turning swiftly to extend a foot into a charging abdomen.

The wind was knocked out of her, but Rain was used to it at this point. And she knew that even the slightest second of weakness would cost her life. She rolled the side just as a heavy combat boot was about to come down on her head.

Getting back to her feet, she swiped the knife at her opponent and managed a slice on her upper arm before rearing back in anticipation of a retaliatory attack.

It didn't come as swiftly as she imagined it would, instead Jill reached up to examine the wound and smiled when her hand came back up with lines of crimson liquid coating it.

"We're about to have so much fun," she looked like a cat ready to torture a dying mouse.

Rain swallowed hard, and then she felt the first of the emotions she'd wondered about concerning the last man standing in the submarine silo: it was sadness.

"I somehow doubt that," she admitted, melancholy dripping from her voice.

But still she tried. She tried so hard. She even got in two more missing swings with the knife before it was effectively kicked from her hand. Her forearm throbbing in pain. Then there was the blocking and the retreating. Jill guiding every single movement with one of her own until finally Rain's footing slipped on the ice and she lie prone on her back. The blonde pounced, straddling her, and wrapped her hands around her throat.

"Poor Seventeen," she mocked softly as the girl's hands tried to pry her own away. "You lucked out the last time I put my hands on you, but not anymore. You've lost your function, and now you need to be disposed of."

Rain fought and grunted as tears leaked down the side of her face; fear and hopelessness starting to merge.

"Shhh," Jill moved closer; so close that their breath would have mingled if dying girl had any left to expel from her lungs. "You don't have to be afraid. There may not be a heaven waiting for you, but there won't be a hell either. Medical waste need not fear an afterlife."

It was then that the fear turned back into fight. She may not survive much longer, but she wasn't going easy. As her hands slapped, punched and scratched the set around her throat tightened. Just before her vision started to fail she looked down at the glowing red device resting mere inches away from her. And with the last of the strength Rain possessed in her body, she used both hands to fiercely rip it off.

The moment it happened she was free. Jill fell to the side clutching her chest, coughing and spurting.

"Destroy it!" she managed to get out before she collapsed fully.

It wiggled in her hands as the brunette stumbled over to the knife. She knelt and held the bug down with her foot before lifting the sharp weapon above her head and slamming it down in the red center. Then all movement stopped and the light died slowly. She sat there for a brief moment; partially to make sure the thing was actually dead and partially to just breathe. She'd never realized how amazing it felt until just then.

The break was short lived as the oxygen returned to her brain and she remembered the prone antagonist just a few feet away from her. Her movements were still a little shaky, but she managed to reach down and grab a purple collar, pulling her enemy to her feet.

"Get up!" she forced the words through gritted teeth. "Get up so I can look into your eyes when I stop your cold heart from beating."

She slammed her against the tank and held the knife against her throat. "So you can look at my face as _you _contemplate the existence of hell."

"Rain, wait, please," the blonde begged.

"RAIN!?" roared the response. "I'm Seventeen, remember? Worthless, soulless clones with no family, friends or real history don't get to have names! You made that very clear."

She increased the pressure of the blade on her throat just before another voice called out her name.

"Rain, stop!"

It was Alice.

"She's not a threat anymore," the voice was growing closer. "Don't do this."

"I don't care if she's a threat. She's done horrible things and she can't just get away with them."

"She did those horrible things under the control of Umbrella. Her name is Jill Valentine and she used to fight the very people that gained control of her."

"And part of the horrible things she did was creating people just to decimate them. Giving them memories and lives and feelings only to destroy them in sadistic ways," She countered. "It's time for the monster to destroy its maker."

Alice couldn't tell if Rain's resolve would falter, but she didn't have time to chip away at it. Her clone was still doing a number on Ada and Leon and she needed to help them before it was too late. She decided on one final push before she set off in the other direction.

"Listen to me, Rain," she tempered her voice. "I don't have time to stop you from doing this. But she didn't create a monster in you. All she created was memories. You are the hero that risked her own life to save a little girl. You are the brave one that fought to save her new friend. She may have helped create the girl who marched against the NRA, but if you drag that knife across her throat it'll be you that creates the monster."

Tears fell down both Rain and Jill's cheeks as Alice dashed back into the fray. The blonde cried for all the pain she'd caused the woman in front of her and the brunette for all pain it would cause to let go. She warred with herself for a few more agonizing seconds and finally stopped both the tears and the internal struggle.

"Alice's words aren't going to save you," she said as Jill subtly nodded her head in acceptance. "I am."

She threw the knife so it speared into the ice and started to move away.

"Because no matter how I was created, or what you believe; you're alive right now because I have a soul."

"I know," Jill softly to her back as it moved forward. "I'm so sorry."

They moved forward together to catch the grand finale of the Las Plagas fight.

The clone saw her own form fall into the waters below. Dragged down by the monsters that were now her siblings; never to return to the surface again. It created an ache within her heart, but she had no tears left to cry. Exhaustion was setting in on all of them. Especially Alice; who collapsed just as the rescue helicopter made its landing.

Once Alice's eyes started to open aboard the helicopter she scanned the vessel to see who'd made it; specifically looking for Becky. When she saw the young girl, who was now technically her responsibility, a smile crossed her face and she breathed a sigh of relief as she caressed her face.

Her elation continued as she also noticed Jill was aboard as well. She'd worried that Rain may not have been able to control the bloodlust that she was at war with.

"Good to have you back," the blonde smiled.

"Good to have _you_ back," Alice replied, then looked to Rain. "Thank you for saving them both."

Both Jill and Becky turned to regard her. One with a happy smile on her face, the other wearing a sad one. Rain swallowed, not knowing what to say. She opted for a humble nod and appeared to be newly fascinated with one of the notches on the floor.

With about twelve hours of flight time looming ahead of them they all tried to get as comfortable as possible and made an effort at stealing a little sleep. Becky curled up safely in Alice's arms. Ada, begrudgingly, cuddled up to Leon. And that left the last seating pad to Rain and Jill. The discomfort they both were feeling had nothing to do with the thin cushioning.

"You can take the seat," Jill offered. "I can throw a blanket on the floor."

"No, you take it. I don't think I can sleep right now; too much going on in my head."

"Same here," the sad expression returned. "Do you think maybe we could compromise and I could sit next to you for a while?"

"It's not my helicopter," Rain answered evenly. "You can sit wherever you want."

"Thank you," was the soft reply.

Seated side by side, they stared at anything but each other. The brunette pulled her feet up and wrapped her arms around them as if she were cold, as the blonde sat forward, looking like she was ready to jump from her position should Rain even think about requesting it.

She knew she needed to apologize. Knew that even though none of the horrible things that had happened were her of her own will, that she still did them. But how do you apologize under those circumstances? She thought that maybe if she could just get the first word out, she would be fine from there and the rest would flow smoothly. That first word just seemed so hard to find.

Maybe the first words didn't need to start with "I'm" and "sorry". Maybe instead of being negative right off the bat, she could be positive.

"Thank you for sparing my life," she kept her eyes on the ground. "I know that must have been hard for you given how horrible I was."

Rain had really hoped there wouldn't have to be talking involved with the sitting.

"The way it's been explained to me, you weren't doing anything of your own accord. I shouldn't be mad at you for acting in a way you couldn't control."

"But you are," Jill pointed out.

"But I am," Rain agreed. "That's part of the problem, all this hurt and anger I have inside me doesn't get to point back to a source because the source is gone," she turned her head to finally look at the blonde. "And you wear her face."

"If I told you that I was sorry for causing you and so many others pain, would you believe me?"

"Yes."

"Does it make you feel any better," this time it was Jill who looked in the other woman's direction.

"No, I don't think so," Rain pulled her eyes back to the floor.

"Would it make a difference if I told you that I lied when I told you didn't have a soul? That I didn't know even at the time if you did or not because I don't know if the soul exists."

Rain thought for a moment and then responded, "Yes, that would make a difference to me." She forced her eyes to meet green eyes once more for the question she was about to ask. "Did you lie about what you did with the other Seventeen model?"

It was Jill's turn to pull her gaze away. She clenched ledge of the seat with her hands. "You have no idea how much I wish I could answer yes to that question."

Rain nodded in sad desperation, "Did you kill her?"

"Yes," simultaneous tears fell from a faraway stare.

"How?" Rain's voice shook as she started to shed her own.

He jaw clenched, "With a bullet to the back of her head. She didn't suffer, nor did she see it coming."

"Why?"

"Please don't make me answer that question," she begged. "I'll answer anything else, but I don't want to answer that."

"I didn't want to be a clone used for zombie bait," Rain's sadness turned briefly to anger. "We don't always get what we want."

It was Jill's turn to nod and then she looked her square in the face. "The Red Queen thought I was becoming attached."

Rain squinted her eyes in confusion. Was she saying that she possibly had feelings for the murdered clone?

"I don't understand. How could you become attached to anything?" She asked.

"It's more complicated than you think, I wasn't a robot, I was still a human being. I just didn't have control of my will. Needs still had to be sated. I still had to eat, I still had to sleep, I still had..." it was time to look away again. "...urges."

Rain regarded her quizzically, "Did you love her?"

A confused, far off expression overtook Jill's features as she let her mind tackle the subject for the first time, "I don't think it was possible for me to love at all with that thing on me," she paused again, then added, "I do know that I didn't want her to not be there."

The dark haired participant of the conversation felt like her mind was about to explode. Trying to understand the complexities of this entire dynamic was far more involved than she'd previously imagined.

"Did she love you?" She finally asked.

Jill still couldn't meet her stare, "I can't imagine it would have been possible for anyone to love me in that state."

Rain simply put her hands on her face and tried to rub the idea away. She knew she felt sorry for the other clone, and she was wondering if she was starting to feel sorry for Jill. Shaking her head she moved her hands through her hair and simply willed the thoughts away. It was all just too much to take in at one time.

"I think we can table that subject for now," she said, hugging herself and running her hands up her arms. "Damn, it's freezing in here."

Immediately the blonde looked around for something to warm her and found a blanket overhead. Unfolding it, she moved closer to wrap it around the clone, but Rain involuntarily flinched at the proximity, causing Jill to back off and simply extend the blanket out to her with one hand.

"Here."

Rain immediately chastised herself for her reaction. The woman was handing her a blanket, not brandishing a knife. She needed to get her body under control.

"Thanks," she took it and wrapped it around herself as Jill sat back down. "Is this the last one?"

"Um, yeah, I think so. There weren't any more up there."

"Well, here," she lifted the blanket. "We can share this one."

Jill surveyed the offering. The blanket wasn't small by any means, but it wasn't exactly large either. They would have to sit fairly close together in order to share it.

"I'm ok," she rebuffed with a small smile. "It's not really that bad." Though she'd already started to shiver.

"It's Russia and you're wearing purple spandex, come on," was the somewhat demanding reply.

"It really isn't as thin as it looks, I'm good."

Then it dawned on the dark head that Jill was only saying that because she knew it would make things uncomfortable. She'd rather suffer in the cold for hours than impose. Rain's eyes softened as she let the realization wash over her. This woman was just as tortured as some of her victims. More than that, she was a victim herself. They were all victims of Umbrella's sadistic worldview. She knew it wasn't going to fix everything, but the simple kindness started the ball rolling.

Sliding across the open expanse of the seat, the clone moved next to warrior and placed the rest of the blanket over her as well. Green eyes looked down at her in both confusion and elation.

"Look, we both tried to kill each other in the last couple of hours, so I'm not saying that we can be friends overnight," she paused briefly, trying to find the right words. "But I like this version of you. I'm glad I didn't..."she trailed off, not being able to finish. "What I'm saying is I'm happy to share the blanket."

After a few breaths, Jill situated herself under the cover, "Thank you."

With a contented sigh Rain closed her eyes and laid her head back in an effort to go to sleep. But one last question persisted in its need for an answer and she had to ask it before rest would come.

"Jill?"

"Yes?" the answering tone was obviously reticent.

"You don't actually like that purple body suit, do you?"

"Oh god no, I'm getting new clothes the second I have the opportunity," She answered relieved.

"Good."

And with that the two former enemies dozed off, sharing the same blanket.

"How did this happen?" Alice's brow furrowed in confusion and her head tilted to the side as if understanding would sleep in better from a vertical optical perspective.

"I've seen a lot with Umbrella, so not much surprises me," Ada agreed. "But I must say I'm somewhat taken aback by this."

"What's wrong?" Leon grunted. "Why are you guys acting weird? Are they gay or something?"

Alice gave him a light slap to the ribs, "They hate each other. Or at least they did a few hours ago."

Three perplexed faces stared down at two sleeping women. A dark head lay softly snoring on a shoulder that was not her own. Resting atop it were the contented features of a blonde who seemed more peaceful than any of them could remember her being.

"Should we wake them?" Leon asked. "We're almost there."

"I'm not sure Rain can wake up that way and not flip out," Alice answered. "I mean, I don't know this version of her very well, but the other ones I've met tend to get violent fairly quickly."

"Maybe we should move them before they wake up," Ada offered.

"Yeah, right," Leon huffed. "Blondie's a trained killer. I don't know why she's not awake right now."

"She is," they all started a bit when the soft response came from the very topic of conversation. "She just didn't want to move and startle the already traumatized girl resting on her shoulder. Which will be made even worse should she open her eyes and find three trained killers eyeballing her as if she were a science experiment; now disperse!"

"Agreed. C'mon guys," Alice said with a smirk.

Were she to have been completely honest, she would have also had to admit that she'd been awake for over an hour. Her neck was even stiff. But for reasons that she dare not even try to think about, she didn't want to move away from the warm body resting against her own. That didn't seem like much of an option anymore, however, given the fact that they were about to land. So, she decided her best move was to start to slowly move around and see if it roused her counterpart. After a few shoulder rotations the snoring ceased and the girl started to stir.

Rain was lucky in that she was so exhausted even her brain had shut off for the most part, for when she did have small snippets of dreams they were filled with monsters, fighting and danger. When she awoke to find herself on a helicopter, disorientation started rush over her and she was confused as to what was going on.

She was even more perplexed to find herself resting against the purple clad body of her former enemy. With a jolt she moved away and slammed into the back of the hold. Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the reaction.

"It's ok," Jill put her hands out in a non-threatening manner, but didn't move forward in her efforts to calm the girl. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Hey, everything is alright," Alice added. "You're safe, remember. We're about to land in the U.S."

The cloud of confusion dissipated and she felt embarrassed by her reaction.

"God, yes, I'm sorry," she wiped at her eyes. "Just waking up in a new place kind of freaked me out."

"It's understandable," Jill stated with a sad smile. "The last time you woke up to see my face it was because I'd knocked you out and kidnapped you. I'd probably be jumpy too."

Alice noticed the melancholy in the statement and worried about her friend. The regret she was feeling about the clone would be nothing compared to what she was going to have to face depending on who'd survived the attack on the Arcadia. There was bound to be some hostility over it all and, just like Rain, understanding would take time.

"She may have woken up to the same face, but it was a different person," she corrected, looking at the blonde, then at the clone. "I would imagine Rain, better than most people, can understand the complexities of that."

"I do," she agreed, with a soft smile. She knew Alice was referring to rogue twin that nearly killed them all. Standing, she moved over to Jill and offered a hand to help her up. "Come on, once we land we can find you some decent clothes."

With a soft chuckle the hand was accepted with gratitude. Hopefully Rain wouldn't be the only one with a forgiving disposition.

Walking through the halls of a dilapidated White House was something none of them imagined they'd ever do. Even Leon and Ada, who'd spent a decent amount of time at the established home base, felt a sense of unease grow in the pits of their stomachs whenever they roamed the halls of the last stand of humanity.

Rain was fairly certain she would have been prescribed a high level anti-anxiety medication were there any doctors around not busy dealing with lost limbs and mortal wounds. It was one thing to wake up to the zombie apocalypse. It was another to move into an entire decimated world the very next day.

Her mind was pulled from its meltdown once they met up with Wesker. He'd asked to speak with Alice alone, and their stalwart hero once again left Becky in her charge.

"Don't let go of her hand," she said and signed as she knelt before the little girl and then rose to address Rain. "We may be surrounded by humans right now, but that doesn't mean we've escaped the monsters. Keep your eyes open."

The grim reality of man's dark side invaded her mind as she gripped the child's hand tighter.

"No one's going to touch either one of them," Jill tone was matter of fact.

As Alice took her brief meeting with Wesker, Rain tried to talk to her charge about anything other than what was going on. She found out that she liked horses and softball. And as the child went on about all of the things that were not the horrific reality, the older woman chastised herself for her earlier inclination to give in to her fear.

She was a grown woman, with the capability to protect herself. She had survived this long on sheer will and luck. With discipline effort, she could not only survive, but help fight back. And once they were all escorted to the roof of the White House her resolve to that end was even more firmly rooted. Humanity was at war, and she was absolutely going to be a part of that fight.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

In the early 20th century, the assembly line system was perfected by a man named Henry Ford in an effort to more efficiently and effectively churn out massive numbers of vehicles in a minimal amount of time. It's likely Ford's motives were self serving in nature; but the result was the catalyst for one of the greatest manufacturing movements mankind has ever seen.

Rain had no idea why the scientists who created her decided this trivial information was absolutely necessary to her intended massacre by monsters. Nevertheless, it was present in her mind. Especially as she moved through the Resistance intake process.

Name? Age? Allergies? Diseases?

The woman across the desk from her rattled off the preliminary questions involved in her applicant acceptance process. Her tone was sterile and cold, just like the medical table the new recruit would be sitting on next for her examination. Which she could only imagine would be just as taciturn as her interrogation. It was all just like an assembly line; only with people.

"Biological Orientation?" the woman asked, looking down at the form.

"Excuse me?" Rain asked, completely confused by the terminology.

"Biological Orientation; are you natural born or lab grown?" The definition was given without eye contact as well.

"I don't understand," her brow furrowed and her head shook. "Are you asking me if I'm a clone?"

"Yes, are you a clone, or are you natural born? If you don't know we have a test. If you refuse to answer we can put you down as 'unknown'."

"Why do you need to know this?"

The admin's head finally pulled from its declined position and tired eyes finally sought out the ones across from her.

"I think, given your hesitation to answer, we both know what I need to write in this field, but it's up to you," thin lips dripped with irritation. "I, personally, don't care. I'd like to get on with the rest of my day and not deal with your internal struggle over of a word on a piece of paper."

Rain huffed out an angry chuckle, "You know I'll bet the Nazi's said the same thing to the Jews right before they took them to the camps. That word on that piece of paper could make me a lab rat, cannon fodder or worse; and I know this from experience. So right now, we're going to play a little game where you act like you aren't bored with your little desk job and pay attention to the living, breathing being in front of you. You're going to answer her questions to the fullest extent and then you can go back to your miserable existence and demean the life of your next consult. Because this one, isn't moving until you do."

She crossed her arms as if to solidify her point and stared down the desk jockey with disdain.

Taking a deep breath, the older woman dove into her explanation, "Clones have certain genetic advantages. Their immune systems are stronger; while they are susceptible to viruses and disease, they aren't bothered by more common deficiencies such as colds and allergies. They come standard with 20/20 vision and a balanced metabolism."

Rain balled her fist at the last description, but allowed the woman to continue.

"But given all the benefits of clone status, there are societal discrepancies to be considered. Some, but not all members of what's left of the human population, do not take kindly to clones. They believe them to be soulless and without feeling. Second class citizens, if you will, that do not deserve respect so much as suffrage."

The girl leaned forward, "So explain to me what the benefit would of me aligning with clone status, because from what I can tell, I get to keep all the benefits just from breathing and bypass all of the judgment," her eyes narrowed with spite. "Tell me what you would do, if you were in my situation."

An unexpected smile crossed over the lips of the administrator. "First, I would drop the chip on my shoulder because you have no choice but to find a way of life here, or die out there."

Rain started to fire back, but was cut off.

"My name is Miranda Carson. I'm 46 years of age. I have no allergies or diseases that I am aware of. And I was grown in a laboratory."

The girl across from her was indefinitely silenced at this point, allowing for father explanation from administrator Carson.

"I have volunteered my blood for testing that has lead to the very information I rattled off to you before about clone immune systems. My small sacrifice, as well as that of other clones, is leading to case studies about possible introduction of external biological benefits. Now, if my explanation has sated your curiosity, we can continue on with the rest of the application process and I pray that we might skip such a tirade on blood type, given that some of those can be superior to others, and I wouldn't want to further impugn upon your delicate sensibilities."

Granted, she'd only been alive for a few days, but Rain could not recall, in memories real or implanted, any other time where she'd been so effectively put in her place.

After answering the question truthfully, she was off to the next portion of the assembly line. Realizing, in a way, that she was more similar to the rest of the end products than she'd previously imagined.

"How are you holding up?" Alice asked her friend once their initial physical testing was finished.

"Two doctors refused to see me, everyone that knows who I am gives me dirty looks, and one woman even slapped me across the face because she watched me kill her son on the Arcadia," Jill replied sadly before her tone turned sarcastic. "All in all, it's been a pretty good day."

"You can't continue to allow them to do that," Alice moved closer. "I know that you feel terrible about what's happened since Umbrella got a hold of you, but you won't earn the respect of these people if you allow them to torture you."

"I deserve it, Alice."

"No, Umbrella deserves it. The other Jill deserves it. You do not," she moved to put her hands on the blonde woman's shoulders. "I know who you are, Jill. And I know that you're torturing yourself inside far more than these people ever could. And you know what? In some masochistic way, I think you like it when they hurt you, because it alleviates just a little bit of the punishment you feel you owe yourself."

Jill moved away, "Stop psycho-analyzing me, Alice. You don't know what I'm going through."

"No, but I know what you will be going through if you continue on this path; and the person you'll become is not the kind of person that's going to be able to help us fight The Red Queen."

"Are you trying to jump on their bandwagon now?" Her brow furrowed in shock. "You're the only person here who can stand to be near me, and now you're telling me that my usefulness is going to dry up if I keep apologizing for my past?"

"It's not your past and you know that. When you look at Rain do you see the clone that tried to kill us all in Russia?"

"Of course I don't, but it's not the same," she disagreed, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

"It's very much the same. She had the same body, same face, same everything. The only difference between the two was that one of them was programmed to kill and the other wasn't. She shouldn't suffer for what Umbrella using her body and neither should you."

The blonde's jaw clenched, as she had no response to Alice's point.

"And furthermore, she did try to kill you of her own free will and you forgave her that. Maybe she's where you could practice standing up for yourself."

Rubbing the back of her neck, Jill admitted to herself that her friend was right. She was being so hard on herself that she wasn't looking at the entire situation objectively.

"Even if I do stand up for myself, it doesn't alleviate the issue that most people hate me. How do I change that?"

"By being the Jill Valentine you were before you were enslaved by Umbrella," she explained softly. "And you can't do that in the state you're in now. The Jill I knew was strong, smart, brave and kind. Show them that and there won't be any room for them to see the Jill they know now."

A small crossed the blonde's lips, "Thanks Alice."

"Don't thank me," the response came with a smirk. "This pep talk was given partially for selfish reasons. The human race is going to become extinct if we don't win this war and I need the best people I can get fighting by my side."

Jill nodded as she watched the fearless leader walk away. She knew it would take time for everyone, herself included, to heal from all that had happened. But that healing wasn't going to come about if she laid down and martyred herself for something she had no control over. Now was the time to fight, and that was certainly something she could do.

After finishing with her paperwork and enduring a full physical exam, the dark haired clone was told to take a break and retire to the mess hall for lunch. And even though she'd had nothing more than a mouthful of whole grains in the last twenty-four hours, her appetite did not grow ravenous at the site of the food she was about to receive. Slop was the only word she could possibly use to describe the thick, gray concoction being heaved into bowls and handed out like candy.

She sat the bowl on her tray and resisted the urge to vomit before grabbing a cup of water and surveying the hall.

The tables were filled with what seemed to be people grouped together by job. Most of them were obviously military given the tactical clothing and bandages peppered throughout the ranks. Others looked to be more of the mechanic types, grease coating their faces and staining their fingers. Then there were the lab coats, barely even acknowledging each other existed due to their eyes being glued to whatever test results they'd brought with them.

One table was empty save for a short haired blonde woman in tactical gear who looked about as excited for her meal as Rain was. And given that Jill and Alice were obviously not done with their initiation process; she decided to sit in the less crowded area to possibly reflect on the morning's events.

She picked the farthest seat across from the lone occupant and asked, "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"I certainly don't mind," the girl answered, scooping up a helping of her slop then letting it plop back down into the bowl. "But I wouldn't recommend it."

"Why is that?" Rain asked, wondering if the table was vacant because its only resident was violent.

"Because this is the really, really un-cool kids' table," she answered with a soft smile. "It's kind of a 'party of one' thing."

The brunette smirked, and put her tray down. "Do you smell bad or something? I'd assumed that was the food."

"It is the food; I'm just not everybody's favorite cup of tea. You're welcome to sit, but if you decide to I advise ceasing all conversation after this point so that everyone else just assumes you're new here and don't know any better. Don't worry, I won't say otherwise."

"I've been told my model isn't very good at following the rules," she took the seat. "So, I may bother you with further conversation, if that's alright."

"You were warned." She shoveled the liquid into her mouth and quickly swallowed. "I take it you're a clone, then."

"Yep," she acted as if she were engrossed in figuring out just what the hell she was eating, but really her concern leaned more on the reaction of her lunch mate.

"Me too," was the only response.

Relief washed over her as she took in the nonchalant tone. "Is that why you're sitting by yourself?"

"No, there are plenty of clones in here," she took a sip of water and nearly spit it out as she took in Rain's face during her first taste of the slop. "Don't worry, you get used to it."

Rain swallowed with a grimace, "That's good to know. I'd ask what's in it, but I'm fairly certain I never want to know that."

"You don't," she changed the subject so they could both choke down their allotted nutrition. "I know you've gone through medical, otherwise they wouldn't let you in here, but have you gone through skill-set inception?"

"No, that's my next stop. Is it as fun as the other two?"

"I think so. You get to figure out how you suck all the way around, not just regarding the biological things you can't change."

A genuine laugh popped out of Rain's mouth. It felt amazing.

"Does it disqualify you from certain jobs?" she asked, curious.

"Only lab and medical. You have to score a certain percentage in math and science to be considered for those fields. Anything else is fair game. They actually have this great system of allowing people to do what they think they'd like under the assumption that a happy worker is a harder worker. They don't give you much time to decide though. You'll have to have made a choice by tomorrow."

"From the looks of your clothing, I'd assume you chose the military track?"

"Yeah, I have a thing about kicking ass."

"Is that why you sit alone?"

"Nope," again, a simple reply.

"Well, then why do you choose this? You're obviously not socially inept. You even seem to enjoy conversation. Why sit by yourself?"

For the first time in the entire conversation and moved her attention away from the bowl in front of her; allowing her hazel eyes to meet the other girl's.

"They probably offered you a test when you were in the intake process; one that would tell you whether you were a clone or not?"

Rain nodded.

"A year ago they didn't have that test. Some of us knew we were clones, others had no idea, and then there were the ones that hid it from everyone else. After they lab coats figured out that clones had certain genetic benefits, they decided to do further testing across different samples. Problem was they didn't have enough clones to replicate true test cases. So, they asked each of us individually if we'd allow the use of our blood for the manufacturing of a clone test."

It was at this point in the story Rain couldn't help but ask a question.

"Wait, they actually asked permission? They already had the sample. Why didn't they just use it?"

The blonde head shook, "The Resistance isn't like that. They strive to be everything Umbrella is not. Instead of being conniving and secretive, they have a policy of full disclosure. Every experiment made using a person or clone's DNA must be first cleared by its owner. This test was no different."

"So what happened?"

"I was the only clone to say yes," She looked back down at her bowl. "I didn't really see the big deal. I mean, it was for the betterment of the fight. The more knowledge we have the better our chances of actually defeating Umbrella. I signed up to win this thing, and this would help us get there. It has helped us out enormously, but the cost was more than just a few more vials of my blood."

Rain's eyes squinted in confusion.

"Most of them don't like us," she explained. "Birth-born humans do not respect those of us who were created differently. This test could answer questions that a lot of people didn't want answered."

"Then don't take the test, what's the big deal?"

"Ego is the big deal. Superiority is the big deal," she emphasized. "Being birth-born automatically puts you on a higher social scale than the rest of us; clone and unknown alike. For some it's simple. They know they're human, so they take the test and get to be a part of the club. For some it's not so easy; a roll of the dice that could either raise them up or tear them down."

Again, she shook her head.

"The very existence of the test created a bigger divide than there already was. Some people weren't ready to accept being a clone. So much so that they couldn't accept living as one either."

Rain's eyes closed in pain, and then opened again to hear the rest of the story.

"Some became angry; at birth-born, at clones, at the scientists... but especially at me."

"Surely you had some friends that stood by you through this." She couldn't imagine that no one chose to stick by the clone.

"They did at first. They made me a victim in their eyes; someone who was paying for a horrible mistake," she took another sip from her cup. "The problem was I didn't believe I'd made a mistake; I also made no apologies for what I'd done. In the face of social warfare, civil unrest and suicide, it seemed pretty cold to just continue to stand by my decision. I get why that would be unpalatable to them," she looked back down at the gruel. "They said I was heartless when it came to my vendetta against Umbrella."

"You didn't feel bad at all for anything that happened?" Rain asked more from a place of curiosity than judgment.

"I gave people permission to use my blood to make a test that could help further the war effort," her tone held a great deal of conviction. "That's all. The birth-born people made the decision to be assholes, the clones made the decisions to hate themselves, and both groups are making the decision to fight each other rather than fight Umbrella. The world is ending and people are still so damn worried about their egos they're ready to fiddle while it burns."

She slammed a fist down on the table, startling her companion and temporarily garnering the attention of the rest of the dining hall. She hung her in embarrassment at her outburst and soon everyone else went about their own business.

Rain noticed the submissive pose taken on by what seemed to be such a strong person.

"Doesn't it make you want to fight back against their ignorance?"

The blonde smiled sadly and shook her head, "What I want to fight is out there," she pointed out the window toward the throngs of undead that threatened to topple the building at any moment. "I don't care about the rest of this petty bullshit."

It was the best possible answer she could have given, and it sent a resurgence of passion for the cause through Rain's veins.

"And you don't have any friends because of this way of thinking?" she asked, standing.

"Not among the dregs that I normally associate with," she answered, already missing the company that she assumed was leaving her. "Some of the agents are pretty cordial with me, but they're kind of all business."

The blonde watched as her lunch partner slid her tray across the table until it found its destination right in front of her and joined by its owner. She looked up at the brunette in partial disbelief as she took her seat and extended her hand.

"My name is Rain Ocampo," she said with a smile. "I'm here to fight Umbrella, and I'd like to be your friend."

The blonde head shook slowly as a smirk crossed a stunned face, "You sure about that? There's probably no coming back from the social suicide involved in that handshake."

"Like I said, my model isn't much for rules," she thrust the hand a little further and waited for it to be met.

With a nod and a strong grip, their union was solidified, "My name is Cara Thrace; it's a pleasure to make you a metaphorical leper." ***

After going through extensive physical and mental examinations Rain's aptitude results showed that she was most fit to take part in secretarial and administrative work just like the people she had dealt with all day long. The upside of taking one of these positions was that she'd be a lot safer than any of the soldiers on the field or the scientists in the lab. The downside was that she'd rather enter a chugging contest using her lunch option than spend every day doing something so mundane as pushing paperwork when others were out there risking their lives in the fight against Umbrella.

But her potential to be a soldier was very low. She wasn't very strong, had no combat training and she couldn't shoot very well. Her model had literally been designed counter to those abilities. This could put her and the people around her at great risk. She especially didn't like the latter part of those possibilities. Though they said that she wouldn't be turned down for a military position, she would be starting at the very bottom and working her way up.

She really didn't know what she was going to do now so she tried not to focus on it. The next leg of her journey was to grab bedding and supplies and find a vacant room to settle into. And by room they meant cubicle thin walls furnished with two bunks, two night stands and two footlockers; all lined up in rows in one large room. One would think accommodations at the White House would be a little more grandiose, but the better quarters were taken up by senior members of the Resistance.

She combed the corridors looking for a free bed, but found none. Not even one. She returned back to the man that issued her the bedding and asked about her options.

"Excuse me; all of the quarters seem to be filled. Is there another lodging location around here somewhere?"

"Nope, I'm afraid not," he answered sadly. "Every day we search for survivors and it seems we've reached maximum capacity. There's an area right over there where you can grab some floor space, but past that you'll just have to wait till a vacancy opens up in one of the rooms. And that is on a first come, first serve basis, so you'll be behind whoever is already on the waiting list. You can sign-up here," he handed her a sheet of paper.

"Great," the response was monotone.

Jill Valentine walked onto the scene and witnessed the exchange. Moving forward, she tried to see if she could help.

"Are there any rules against her staying in an agent's suite if she's invited?" she asked the man helping the brunette.

"Well, one of them is that she doesn't meet the status of agent, and another would be that they get first dibs on the suites which also fill up quickly."

"What if there were an agent using a room and no one wanted to share it with her?"

He huffed an angry sigh, "Then I'd assume the agent you were talking about would be Jill Valentine, and I'd tell the poor girl good luck if she wishes to stay with her."

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Rain said aloud. "If I had a mother I think she'd be giving me a huge lecture right about now about hanging out with the wrong crowd at school."

"Can she still put her name on the waiting list if she stays with me during the interim?" Jill asked forcefully, disregarding Rain's dig for the time being.

"Lady, if she wants to stay with you, she can have a permanent spot in your room until you kill her like you did so many other innocent people that come along your path."

Rain wondered if Jill would buckle under his scrutiny, but her ponderings were cut short.

"Neither my name nor my rank is 'lady', and you will not address me as such," she asserted, standing tall. "And I did not kill anyone of my own accord; I was captured and physically controlled by the Umbrella Corporation; of whom I will be dedicating my skills to destroying until my last breath is drawn. From now on, when you speak to me your sentences will start or end with Agent Valentine. Is that clear?"

He shook his head with suppressed rage, but followed her orders, "Yes, Agent Valentine."

"My quarters are located in the West Wing," she turned to Rain. "If you'd like to stay in my quarters you're welcome to follow me and get settled in."

She started walking, hoping the brunette would follow.

She did. Her belongings in tow.

"Do you really think barking at people like that is going to win you points with the ones that dislike you?"

"If I back down every time someone stands against me I'll have absolutely no clout or respect from anyone around here and honestly, I'm getting tired of apologizing for actions I had no control over."

"Was that comment directed at me as well?" the clone's tone was somewhat defiant.

Jill stopped and turned to look her in the face as she spoke; her height making her that much more imposing.

"If you continue to demean me in front of the people I need to receive respect from, then yes. That comment about hanging out with the wrong crowd was uncalled for, and I won't tolerate another one like it."

She knew within seconds of spouting out those final words that they were the wrong ones, but they were already out there. The look on Rain's face confirmed it. Shock mixed with anger; but worst of all, she thought she even detected a little hurt.

"I should go then before I say something wrong and you have to decide exactly how you're going to not tolerate it," She turned immediately to walk back to the general population lodging.

"Rain, wait," Jill followed suit. "That didn't come out right."

"Let's see; elitist, condescending, threatening," she rattled off venomously. "Nope, I think it came out perfectly. Seems a lot more familiar than the way you talked to me on the chopper."

"Please, just listen," she grabbed the girl by the arm to halt her movements. "General lodging isn't exactly the safest place for a woman around here, especially out in the open like that."

"Safe? Jill, I have bruises that _you_ gave me, still healing. And with the way you're acting now, I'm not sure how much of your actions were you or that bug they put on you, but I'll take my chances in the crowd."

She tried to leave, but the blonde tightened her grip. "Rain, I have to make these people respect me and acting like a wounded puppy isn't getting that done. There's too much at stake, I can't back down right now, not even with you."

"If you can't back down, then back off and remove your hand," she jerked her arm away. "We're done here."

Jill did as she requested and let the girl go. Crossing her arms, she looked down at the ground in defeat. Maybe this time Alice was wrong.

After setting up her blanket on the floor and growing tired of the smell of her 'bunk mates', Rain decided to get some air. The only real place to do that was on the roof or out in the courtyard. The roof seemed like the best option for a little privacy so she made her way up an empty staircase and breathed in the warm, gunpowder laden air.

There were a few people here and there looking out at the disparaging sight; mostly guards. It wasn't exactly a nice place to get away from it all, but she was sick of being cooped up indoors. She wondered if she would ever have the chance to go on a hike, or walk barefoot along the beach again, then she remembered that she'd never actually done any of those things. It was beautifully tragic the way the human mind worked. Perception truly was reality, because she could remember the smell of salty air just as clearly as she could hear the gunfire blasting in the distance.

She knew she should be thinking about what she wanted to do for work around the base. She had to have a decision made by morning, but her future was the farthest thing from her mind. It was in those moments she felt more alone than she ever had in her life; real or imagined. And there on the top of the White House; once one of the most powerful symbols in the world, she allowed herself to be weak.

Softly and silently she let the tears to fall for herself and everyone else in the world. Living or dead, they had all been suffering so much for so long. One day in this world held all the despair of a lifetime in what she remembered to be her time on this planet. She was honestly starting to wonder why she'd fought so hard for her life if only to live it out in what seemed to be Hell on Earth. Because when the fight was gone; when the anger unraveled, all that was left was death and despair. Leaning across the balcony, she contemplated ending it all.

"If you're going to jump could you do it toward the back yard?" A voice startled her from her sad reverie and she turned to meet its owner.

"We've got a pit back there for the deceased and it'd make it a lot easier on the clean-up crew if you fell closer to it."

The face that owned the voice was strong, but haggard. Long red hair would have framed it, but was covered by a green army ball cap. The clone wiped her tears as the woman approached, lighting a cigarette and then offering one up to her. She looked at her as if she were offended by the offering.

"I promise cancer is the last thing you've got to worry about around here," she insisted. "Besides, if you're gonna go, you might as well go out super defiant of your own mortality."

She pulled a cigarette from the pack and took the light offered to her. A round of coughing then ensued then abated and she took a more successful drag.

"Thank you..." she said, pausing for a name.

"I'm Claire Redfield," the redhead offered her hand.

"My name is Rain Ocampo," she accepted the offering. "You've got a dark and twisted way of introducing yourself, Claire."

"It usually provides enough shock to pull a person out of their own head for a few minutes. Then the cigarette forces them to take five minutes and think about things and they decide that maybe the situation isn't all that dire after all."

"You've done this a couple of times then I guess?"

"More than I'd like to count," she answered solemnly.

"Does it normally work?"

"You're not splattered on the ground, are you?"

Rain smiled morbidly, "I guess not."

"Is this your first day here?"

"Yeah, I came in with Alice yesterday."

"You must be the clone," the redhead asserted.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well you're not Jill Valentine and you're not a child. I heard the only other newbie was an extremely brave clone. Though I'm not sure I can agree with the accolade, given what you were thinking about doing a few seconds ago."

"I've had a rough couple of days," she answered, taking in the fact that someone had obviously told Claire she was brave. There was a sense of comfort to it; even if it was hard to have faith in at the moment.

"You want more of them?" Claire's tone was serious as she took another drag from her cigarette.

Rain took a good hard look at her new companion. It was so odd. She didn't know if she was pushing her to jump... or to fly.

"There's nothing but hard days to come for a long while now," Claire disclosed. "But I heard about what you did back in Russia. I saw your scores and I'm betting you already know they don't point to a life on the battle line, but having heart makes the difference between a good soldier and a great one. We can teach people to shoot, and we can teach them to fight; we can't teach them how to be heroes. It's something that lives inside of you."

"So that's what this is? You came up here to recruit me?" Rain asked. She knew she should be angry with the blatantly obvious ploy, but for some reason she wasn't. There was nothing about Claire Redfield that seemed deceptive or hurtful.

"I came up here to save you and offer you the chance to save yourself and countless others," she looked directly into her eyes, then back out to the sea of undead. "I also came up here because I saw what you did in the lunchroom today with Kara. I don't just take someone's word when they talk about bravery. I saw it for myself."

She took the last drag of her smoke and then flicked it out onto the yard before finishing off her speech.

"You can sit behind a desk if you wish. I know that's what they told you to do. But I think you and I both know better."

She turned to leave, "If you still want to jump tomorrow I won't stop you. I'll be pissed that I was wrong, because I hate being wrong, but I won't stop you. Just sleep on it tonight."

And with that she was gone. It was the oddest conversation Rain had ever experienced. She decided that she liked Claire.

Moving to her pallet, she took off her jacket and shoes and tried to get excited about sleeping on the hard ground. Most of her compatriots were already dozing and snoring at this point so she tried not to disturb them. Before she sat down, she took a quick survey of the room to see if she could detect any possible threats. And in her search her eyes landed on a familiar silhouette with blonde hair poking out from the back of a military cap just like Claire's. She exhaled a sigh and moved quietly through the crowd to address Jill.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

"I decided to form a night watch committee for the common area," she stated innocently.

"Oh really? And who, besides yourself, agreed to be a part of this committee?"

Jill thought for a second and responded, "We're still in our infancy at this point but I believe, once it catches on, it's gonna be big."

The clone let out an exasperated sigh, "So basically you're stalking me."

"I am not stalking you. I just wanted..." she had no idea how to word the semi-embarrassing sentence that was about to leave her mouth. So she just went for it. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok; that nothing bad happened to you."

"So, what, you're just going to stand here the whole night and not get any sleep."

"No, actually I figured that at some point my legs would get tired and I would sit down and prop myself against the wall. Then sleep would finally get the best of me, but I'd be close enough to hear a struggle and I brought you this," she pulled a small, silver rod on a string out of her pocket. "It's a rape whistle. That will definitely wake me up."

Rain looked at her in complete and utter shock, and then allowed herself a small and silent chuckle.

"Ok," she agreed, exhaustion in her voice. "I know you're on this big kick about respect so, fine, you have mine. Apparently acting completely ridiculous earned it for you."

Jill took her hat off; completely blowing her horrible disguise and spoke honestly. "I don't _want_ your respect, Rain; I _need_ it. Along with the respect of everyone else here."

She paused for a brief moment to try to gather up the courage for her next words; knowing her chances of being laughed at again were fairly high.

"I _want_ you to like me," she swallowed both saliva and her pride. "I want to be your friend. I want, one day, for you to look at me and see me for who I really am and not what Umbrella turned me into. I've got one person in this whole world who doesn't hate me right now. I'd like to get at least one more."

Rain looked down and sighed. She was realizing that sometimes it was especially hard not to like Jill Valentine. Looking up put her finger under the shoulder strip of a black tank top.

"I see you got new clothes; that's certainly a start."

A small smile started to grow on Jill's face before Rain continued.

"I've decided to go for the military path," she stated, to both the blonde and herself. "Having an Agent on my side can't hurt."

A sadness washed over Jill's face briefly, but she quickly pushed it away.

"I'll help you in any way I can," she offered humbly. "Will you let me start with offering you a place to sleep that isn't the floor?"

Rain contemplated the request for a moment and finally raised her head back up to address the question. "You got rid of the purple spandex, right?"

"Burned it," came the quick-fire answer.

"I think maybe we can work something out."

And with that, she wasn't alone anymore. She wasn't another product of an assembly line. She was an individual with faults and flaws, dreams and hopes. But most importantly. She was a girl with three new friends.

*** This isn't meant to be a cross-over peace. Though she does look and act like Starbuck, Kara Thrace isn't going to have any kind of affiliation with Battlestar Galactica. I simply couldn't resist the urge to play with her as a clone, given some of the odd theories about her origin on the Sci-Fi series.


	6. Chapter 5

Author's note: The Holidays have been kind of crazy in my neck of the woods, so I must apologize for the weight and also thank all of the people following this story. I appreciate both your patience and your comments. Especially the comments. They do feed my muse more than most things. She must me somewhat of a feedback whore. Happy Holidays.

Chapter 5

Standing in any kind of que related to the military just felt odd to a woman whose memories were so closely tied to a life dedicated to peace. She didn't understand why the Umbrella scientists made her such a hippie. The attention to detail they paid the clones was honestly astounding. To the point that she wondered if they simply dumped data banks of knowledge into her head and then tweaked little neurosis just to make her stand apart from the rest in some way. It also occurred to her that perhaps birth born people had the same questions about God. If there was one.

She shook that thought out of her head. This was certainly no time to be contemplating a higher power. That line of thinking could always be saved for appropriate occasions; like holidays and right before death creeps up on you.

"I do so love being right about people," a voice shook her from her inner wonderings, and when she looked it its direction; she noticed it was accompanied by a familiar face.

"Yeah," Rain smiled. "I guess I can officially tell people a cigarette saved my life."

Claire smiled back. "So, you signing up?"

Her hair was down today and her eyes looked less tired. The look suited her. She wore civilian clothes, so Rain could only assume she was appreciating some downtime.

"I am," the clone nodded. "Gotta start somewhere. Might as well be here."

"Just try to keep your focus and you'll do just fine," Claire offered. "Good luck; I'll see you around."

"Thanks!" came the sincere reply.

The redhead made her way through the lines with confident strides and positioned herself just behind the man that would soon be recruiting her new protégé.

Leaning in close, she whispered, "Ocampo is to be placed with Thrace."

"Plenty of room there," the recruiter acknowledged. "Thrace can hardly keep enough members to form a squad."

And that was exactly why Claire made the request. Kara Thrace was a good squad leader and a dedicated operative for the resistance. She didn't deserve the political fallout that she'd been suffering since the innovation of the test. Rain seemed to like her, and if they could get along, Claire estimated that they could go far.

"I didn't ask for commentary with that command. Just take care of it," and with that she moved along to address the rest of the day's business.

* * *

The initiation of new recruits wasn't exactly the highlight of Kara Thrace's week. It involved intimidation, bravado, and sometimes even death. All in order to weed out the weak links in the chain. If the recruits were too scared, the Resistance didn't want them there. If they weren't strong enough, they were sent packing. And if they couldn't stave off a few zombies on their own... no amount of heart would have kept them alive on the field anyway.

She was both surprised and downtrodden about seeing her newfound friend standing before her to, hopefully, survive this process. She was accompanied by two wide eyed teenage boys. One who looked as if he may relieve his bowels at any moment, and the other who looked sturdy yet somewhat dim. Rain, however, was smiling.

"Fancy meeting you here," The blonde tossed out there. "This is either an amazing coincidence or somebody thought we might work well together."

"If I had any money, or if money actually mattered anymore," the clone corrected herself. "I'd bet on this being the work of Claire Redfield. I ran into her earlier today."

"Well, I'll either have to thank her or yell at her, depending on how things go," she moved in front to address the rest of the group. "For each of you, today will be the start of your own personal Hell. Being a soldier for the resistance isn't glamorous. You have to be strong, brave and have a lot of fight inside you."

She paced as she spoke further.

"You will have to work as a team to survive; and, sometimes, you'll have to watch your team members die right beside you. It is literally a rotating door of physical, mental and emotional pain. But it's also the only hope any of us have for survival. And hope can be a very powerful thing. But before you form a bond with each other and are offered the chance to meet the rest of your established squad members, you'll need to understand exactly why you're going to respect me."

Looking down at her roster, she picked the first alphabetical name on the list. "Which one of you is Clarke?"

The scrawny, meek boy raised his hand. Kara's soft smile betrayed the threatening words that were about to exit her mouth.

"You're going to try to fight me and I'm going to put you down," she stated solidly. "Then you are going to run around this room two times while I fight your new teammates. Then you are going to do it all over again until one of you finally lands a punch to my body."

Clarke's eyes widened in fear as he contemplated the painful existence of his morning. Swallowing hard, he stepped forward and put his hands up in a defensive stance. It only took one attempted punch to be pushed aside and followed with a leg swipe.

"Two laps, pal," the blonde offered her hand to help him up. "Good try."

"Thanks," he said as his waify form was pulled back to his feet and he put them to moving.

Miller was the next name to be called and the stout, young recruit stepped up to take his turn. His shaggy blond hair offered softness to his features, but operative Thrace new better than to ever underestimate her opponent. Strong muscles bulged from underneath his shirt; she needed to be careful.

"Feels weird," he mentioned innocently, before settling into a blocking stance. "I've never hit a girl before."

"Don't worry," she countered. "It's probably going to stay that way for a while."

Though this interaction did take longer the one before, it ended with a knee to the back of the boy's neck and yet another victory for Thrace. She'd struggled a tiny bit in the beginning due to her inferior stature; making certain tactics more difficult, but speed and agility finally won out in the end.

"Good job, Miller," she smiled. "Ok, Ocampo. You ready?"

"I guess so," she stated with some trepidation. "Any advice?" Her arms went up, just as the others' had.

"Self defense classes," Kara deadpanned, before moving in closer and whispering. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. This whole exercise is mostly for the cocky little bastards who come in here with a chip on their shoulder. Its purpose is to establish dominance. Just try your best."

Her best ended up being extremely effective. Though she never actually got close to landing a punch, she lasted longer than any of the boys. Her strategy was more defense rather than offense and it complemented her small frame and quick movements. The first boy had finished his lap by the time she was finally taken down with a choke hold.

"Excellent job, Ocampo," the hand extended a third time, then Thrace spoke softly again. "Are we still friends? If not, I'm going to have to have a discussion about Agent Redfield's interference in my affairs."

"We're good," the clone smiled. "You didn't take me down that easily. I'll look into those self defense classes."

"You know, you should probably check out Jill Valentine," was the advice given.

"Excuse me?" Rain asked incredulously. What was Kara implying? Check out Jill?

Confused, Thrace replied, "I know she's got a pretty horrific reputation, but she's excellent with hand to hand combat and melee weapons. Some kind of benefit of all the stuff Umbrella did to her, I guess."

"Oh, right, yeah," The dark haired woman shook her head in clarity. "No, I should, I actually know Jill. I'm sure she wouldn't mind showing me a thing or two."

"Great. Show yourself to the track for now and give me two laps." the blonde head shook in confusion. "Clarke, are you ready for round two?"

Round after round and lap after lap passed to no avail and the new recruits were getting tired.

"How can we beat her when we're more exhausted after every round?" Miller asked, his shaggy blond hair dripping with sweat as they ran.

"I'm not sure," Rain answered breathlessly. "I figured at some point she'd either just tell us to stop because we sucked, or give a little and let one of us win. But the way things are going, we could be here all day."

"I think she's trying to kill us," Clarke said, joining the crowd. They hadn't all been on the track at the same time until now, the running must be moving slowly into jog territory. "We can't possibly do this much longer."

"I know, and I'm almost up again," Miller agreed.

"We need a strategy," Rain asserted. "Miller, you're the one she tends to have the most issue with, due to your brute strength. If anyone has a chance at landing a punch it's you. Clarke, you and I are quick, what if we basically just try to tire her out and give her the runaround? She can't take us down as easy if we work on nothing but evasion; and the more she has to chase us, the more lethargic she'll become."

"It's not perfect, but it's all we've got," Miller agreed before departing. "I'm up."

It only took one round of their implemented plan before operative Thrace picked up on what they were doing. The residue of teamwork made her smile, and their concerted efforts were certainly taking their toll on her stamina. Finally, after two more rounds, she took a solid right hook to the face from the blonde gladiator. Whose eyes abruptly widened once he noticed the small trickle of blood draining from the corner of her mouth.

In truth, everyone's eyes widened as they awaited the wounded woman's response. They breathed a sigh of relief when they found it was merely a smile, a 'Good job' and a pat on the back for Miller.

"Excellent work, you guys," she beams. "I normally just decide to cut things off when I get bored, but because you worked together, you actually managed to complete the task. Grab some water and we'll move on to the next portion."

The latter part was stated with a sigh of both discomfort and hope. The recruits had become bright eyed from their win, but there were three more exercises to go; each harder than the last.

* * *

An expanse of dirty, neon splattered obstacles lay before them. The flag of the Resistance stood tall on the other side. And in between all of it stood ready about 15 operatives with body armor and paintball guns. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was about to happen.

"Pain is a necessary evil and an integral part of war," Kara explained. "It tells you when you're injured so that you can heal, it helps you understand your physical limits and it angers you enough to push past all of those things."

She handed each one of them a gun, ammo and a helmet.

"Your goal is to capture the flag," she pointed toward the object in reference. "We had to figure out something to do with all of those paintball guns just lying around after the world ended. You can be shot as many times as it takes to get there. If you manage to hit one of the operatives in your way then they will fall. The point of this exercise is simply to not give up. And believe me, this is gonna hurt."

"We get helmets, but no cups?" Clarke asked, staring off at the flag.

"Finally a situation where I actually have the advantage," Rain noted softly.

"You'll go on three," Kara warned as they scrambled to put on their helmets. "One, two... three!"

Chaos; painful chaos, ensued. Rain figured out early on that this was not to be a mission focused on teamwork. They could barely even see each other, let alone hear each other through the helmets that thumped with the constant assault of gumball sized terror.

Taking cover worked for a few minutes, but trying to push forward was all but impossible without taking an onslaught of fire. Miller was the loudest of all of them. A steady stream of expletives erupted from his covered face; loud enough that even the specificity of the swear words was perceptible given the gusto in which they were wailed.

She'd lost sight of Clarke a long time ago and she could only assume that he was holed up somewhere that no one had found and was waiting on one of them to end everyone's torment. From her short-lived hiding place she saw that at least three of the defending operatives had been taken out. She tried to fire off a few rounds herself, but was fairly certain she hit nothing. It was time to try to move further in.

Paint slugged into her body with agonizing consistency as she tried to shoot her way through. Then, all at once, three operatives popped up from behind a retaining wall and stalked toward her. Before she even noticed she needed to reload they began their grueling assault. The instinct to give-up was powerful and she nearly yelled for a reprieve, when suddenly they fell one by one. Clarke's blue paint splashing over each of their helmets.

Achingly she got up, and for a brief moment tried to look around, but the efficient sniper was not in sight. Yet he was with her every step of the way. Though, she still took a few more rounds to her tortured body, the hits were coming less and less until finally she was able to reach the flag and tiredly pull it from its stand. When she looked back, not a single operative was left standing and both of her teammates made their way out of the woodwork.

Removing her helmet, she gave a tired smile toward them both, grabbed the flag and raised it in victory.

"To Clarke!" she exclaimed, and received a humble smile back.

* * *

Jill had been nervously watching Rain's progress on her tablet since she'd first heard about the trials her friend... well, maybe not friend, but new acquaintance... had to go through to make operative status. Even after the end of the world, Umbrella still has some of the greatest technology ever conceived. She could both hear and zoom in on the budding hero as the clone trekked her way through the grueling process. Jill cheered for her as she figured out the key to defeating the juggernaut, and she cringed with ever pelt she took trying to capture the flag.

Sipping a glass of water in the mess hall, and completely neglecting her gruel, she listened raptly as operative Thrace explained their final objective. One that Jill would have pulled Rain from, had she thought the girl would ever speak to her again after.

"The last part of today's exercises involves actual contact with the infected," she informed, her face far less authoritative than it was before. "Past this door there is half a football field littered with level one, slow moving enemies. But don't let their lack of speed reassure you. They tend to gather quickly. And with three or four scratching, clawing and biting at you; making it out alive or un-infected will be difficult. Move fast, grab a weapon if you can, and try to make it to the scaffolding on the other side. Exit the door located there and you're part of the crew. Don't exit... and I think you can guess what happens."

"You mean those are the fallen recruits?" Rain asked with both anger and sadness.

Operative Thrace simply stared on due to the obvious nature of the answer.

"That's horrible," The dark haired girl stood in defiance.

"_That's _all the more reason to make it to the other side," the blonde moved closer to her to emphasize the imperativeness of her statement. "Understood?"

Rain's jaw clenched, but she held her tongue because of the sadness she noticed behind her friend's eyes.

"Ok, let's go," Kara ordered, and she gently grabbed Rain's arm to speak to her briefly and quietly. "Don't be a hero. Just get yourself to the other side."

Jill watched on, worried. The chances of the dark haired clone heeding that advice were slim to none.

As they walked through the door, they saw them. Old recruits meandering aimlessly, some of them missing limbs, all of them moving slowly. They hadn't been noticed yet and there were blunt objects all around.

"Ok, look," Miller stated hurriedly. "Everybody grab something to swing at them and then stagger behind me. I'm the strongest; I should be able to wipe out nearly any of them that get in my way. All you'll have to do is bring up the sides and the rear from there. If we stay together, we have the best chance of making it through."

"Sounds like a plan," Rain agreed, grabbing a weapon.

Clarke did the same and took up the rear position.

Jill's heart was in her throat as she panned out and watched the group soldier forth. She was more than pleased the strong blond boy had offered to take point. His swings were true and he grunted and yelled with each powerful blow.

Her adorable, dark haired clone yelped and swung with little abandon. Both boys were obviously favored with a great deal of luck given that she'd not landed a blow on either one of them. It made the blonde smile as her anxiety was stolen away briefly.

All too briefly.

Just as they all were about to climb the scaffolding to the door on the other side, Clarke got dragged off from the back. He fell to the ground and scrambled in the wrong direction. He moved swiftly toward an exterior pipe on the cement wall and climbed up high enough to where the infected could not reach.

"Clarke!" Rain shouted.

"We've got to climb up, or they'll come after us too," Miller commanded, grabbing her.

"We can't leave him!" She pulled back.

"We can't stay here, or we'll end up just like them!" Miller implored her.

"Listen to him, Rain!" Jill responded in kind from her mute vantage point on the other side of the screen.

Rain knew he was right; she knew that they didn't have time to argue and that if they stayed behind and tried to save Clarke they could die themselves. So, with a tear falling down the side of her face she nodded and began to climb the scaffolding.

"Good girl," Jill whispered, relieved.

As the two reached the door on the other side, Rain took one look back at the doomed boy. His screams for help echoing in her ears. The infected were now swarming the area below his feet. It wouldn't be long before his small arms gave out and he fell to a painful death below.

And with a different group, that may have happened to him.

"No," the breath escaped Jill's mouth as she saw the dark haired clone begin to descend the scaffolding.

"No!" Miller mirrored her words. "Look, you can't save him! There are too many of them."

Rain looked up at the large, yet scared boy and sighed. She didn't expect him to follow, but she had to explain herself.

"What are you doing this for?" She yelled up at him.

"What?" He replied, confusion evident on his face.

"Why are you here?" she clarified. "Are you trying to prove something to yourself? Bask in some kind of heroic glory? That's all gone now! There aren't any medals to receive; no notoriety to be had. If you're here to feel like a badass, you're doing it for the wrong reasons!"

She swallowed hard, realizing that she honestly didn't know where her words were coming from; yet she continued.

"There's a person out there that needs our help," she explained. "A living, breathing human being that will suffer a fate worse than death should we leave him behind. _He _is exactly what we should be fighting for. Because if we lose our humanity, we lose everything."

Miller's breathing was heavy and tears filled his eyes. He knew she was right.

"You do what you have to do, Miller," she started her decent again. "My fight right now is for Clarke. And I'm going to save him."

As her form dropped and jogged toward the mass of enemies, a simultaneous "God damn it." erupted from the mouths from both the blond watching her from the scene and the blonde watching her from a screen. The one that was close enough to save her, followed in her path. The one that watched solemnly from a distance clutched at her chest and begged whomever might be listening that she made it out alive.

Rain went in screaming a war cry that seemed to emanate from her very soul as she slammed the rod she'd been carrying against the head of every enemy that crossed her path. It all seemed to move in slow motion. Steel connecting with rotting flesh. Muscles aching from overuse. Her breath coming in pants that would soon lead to utter exhaustion. The slow motion only ended when she heard Clarke scream out to her.

"Rain! Behind you!"

As soon as she turned her face was mere inches away from the grey and blood stained skin of a monster that belonged in a movie, rather than real life. The shock sent her flying onto her back as her breath finally caught in her throat. But as the zombie lurched it was swiftly jerked back by the brute strength of someone she didn't expect to see.

"Get up!" Miller yelled as he hauled her to her feet. "You don't get to talk me into this and then die before I get the chance to yell at you."

His chest heaved as he looked right into her and tried to decide whether he was angry or inspired.

"Now let's go save fucking Clarke," he finally stated.

Miller's powerful swings made easy work of the throng. They lost heads, limbs and various other body parts as he mowed them down like a weed whacker. Rain did her part, and this time it was with a smile instead of a grimace. When a path was finally cleared, Clarke jumped down and joined in the fight.

"Let's move!" Miller ordered, once the smaller boy had steadied himself.

And with that they all rushed the scaffolding and made their way up to freedom.

It was only when she'd witnessed all three forms exit the testing grounds that Jill Valentine finally let her body release its tension and breathed a sigh of relief. Her head resting against wall behind her and eyes closed in a brief and silent prayer of thanks to whatever force might be watching out for the brave and beautiful soul to which she was becoming more and more attached.

* * *

Though physically the new recruits were battered and exhausted, it would have been impossible to tell given the smiles on their faces as they received their tactical gear and clearance badges. The adrenaline coursing through their veins created a sense of euphoria that they would always look back on, and a bond that solidified them into a brotherhood of their own making. Kara Thrace couldn't have been more proud as she allowed the mood to wash over herself in their wake.

"Saw that all of your newbies made it through," Claire Redfield leaned back against the wall beside her and looked on at the group in question.

"Just barely, ma'am," Thrace said with a smirk. "Seems someone thought it would be a good idea to seat me with Ocampo. She nearly got all of them killed with her antics in the last obstacle."

"Must've been someone with super intelligence; sounds like they couldn't have matched you two up better."

"I didn't know we had any Agents of the 'super intelligent' variety," Kara joked and was rewarded with a semi-soft punch to the arm.

"She reminds me of you," Claire smiled. "Young, idealistic; more brave and crazy than scared and reserved. That's what we need in here. Because of her you ended up with three new recruits; not two."

The redhead paused for a brief moment, wondering whether she should say the next thing that popped into her mind. In the end she decided to go with it.

"And I saw you two talking the other day in the lunchroom," she admitted softly. "I thought you might like working the lines, for once, with someone who wouldn't leave you behind."

The blonde's smirk fell and her eyes remained on their topic of conversation.

"That's what this is about?" she asked, somewhat annoyed. "You set up a playdate so little Kara might make a new friend? And here I thought you were just trying to give me a dose of my own medicine with training a wildcat."

Claire turned her head to look at her, "It's ok to have friends, Kara. Sometimes I think you paint yourself the pariah because you're comfortable there. You don't ever get let down if you don't expect anything from people."

The blonde took a deep breath and let out an audible sigh before putting her ego in check and looking to the Agent. "I appreciate what you're trying to do here. I just don't need people to think I'm getting any favors from up top."

"Trust me, it wasn't completely a favor," Claire said with a smile. "That one's going to be a handful; I can tell."

"Is this why I should be happy to have friends? They like to torture each other?"

"We're not friends," The tone was matter of fact, but the smile still graced her face.

"Really?" Thrace countered with an eyebrow raise.

"I'm your superior. When you reach Agent status we can talk about being friends."

"Right, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She chuckled briefly and rolled her eyes before noticing Claire's gaze had become menacing as she looked on at the new recruit.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just saw somebody I've been meaning to kill," was the answer as the woman stomped forth toward her goal.

Kara's eyes grew wide as she followed her gaze and it landed on quite possibly the only person more hated in the Resistance than herself. Jill Valentine was about to become very well acquainted the knuckles on Claire's right hand.

"Looks like you survived your first day," Jill said gratefully to the newly enlisted Rain Ocampo.

"Just barely," was her reply. "But yeah. I'm now a proud, yet battered new member of the Resistance army."

"Are you in a lot of pain?" The blonde's brow furrowed with concern.

"Not as much as you're gonna be," a voice came from a different direction and it was followed by the fist of its owner connecting directly with Jill's mouth.

"Oh my God!" Rain exclaimed as she watched the blonde drop to the floor and scrambled to stop Claire from pouncing harder.

Her efforts were aided by the strong arms of Kara Thrace.

"Claire, stop," the clone ordered through gritted teeth as she pulled her superior away from her target. "You know you can't do this! She's been cleared of all her past actions she's an Agent now!"

"She's a fucking monster!" The red head spat as she struggled against Thrace. "She killed K-Mart. That girl was one of my best friends and I watched her get gunned down along with so many others on a cold, desolate ship under the orders of Jill Valentine."

Rain's face fell as she stood between the two women, hand outstretched to halt any further actions against her new... friend? It was so hard to tell, especially if she was to constantly find out more about the woman's dark past.

"She's telling the truth," Jill's voice took up residence behind her as the blonde stood.

Her admission only caused Claire to fight harder against the arms that imprisoned her. A crowd was starting to draw.

"Claire, you are an operative, it is your job to set an example," Kara whispered softly into the angry woman's ear. "We cannot be fighting each other if we are going to win this war!"

"There isn't any winning anymore," Claire growled. "Only lesser degrees of suffering. I want vengeance."

Her heel slammed down on Thrace's foot just before an elbow thrust into her gut causing her to fall and try to catch her breath. The redhead extracted a knife from her boot and moved forward purposefully.

"Rain get out of the way," Jill ordered, fear evident in her voice.

"Do as she says, Ocampo," Claire agreed.

"If I move she's gonna bury that knife in your gut," the clone argued against Jill.

"And if you don't move she may very well bury it in yours; get out of the way!"

Rain took in both the words and Claire's face; eyes set hard on Jill and jaw tight with rage. But behind it all, Rain knew her source was pain.

"No she won't," she stated confidently. "Because Claire is a good person. She saved my life last night; she's not going to end it today."

"What I'm not going to do is ask you to move again," Claire countered.

"You won't have to," Rain pulled her hand back a bit, but stepped closer to the armed woman. "Because, like I said, you're a good person, Claire. And good people don't kill other good people. You're not going to hurt me and you're not going to hurt her, because she is not the same person who murdered all of those people on that boat; she's not the one who killed your friend."

A tear made a swift descent down the Agent's right cheek before she let out a breath and spoke, "You don't know what you're talking about; you just met her. You have no idea what she's capable of!"

"Yes, I do," Rain said calmly, but firmly. "You see these bruises on my face? She put most of them there."

Jill winced in pain at the memory and, though the expression went unnoticed by the clone, it did not get past Claire.

"These scrapes on my wrist are from where she held me prisoner and used me against Alice," she held out her hands and stepped closer. "And I can't even begin to describe the emotional torment I've been through the last few days because of things she said to hurt me."

Claire's view toggled between the girl approaching her and the woman she meant to kill. One's eyes were imploring her to listen; the others were fixed on the floor in evident shame.

"But she isn't the same anymore. She helped us get out of Russia alive, she took care of Alice on the plane and... I'm fairly certain she feels so bad about everything she did that she'd let you come at her completely without a fight."

Jill and Claire's gaze met again and they both realized that Rain's last statement was true.

"And that's why you can't do it; because she's a good person too. I promise you she pays for her crimes every single day."

Claire exhaled hard and shook her head before re-sheathing the knife and stepping forward.

"Let me through, I'm not going to kill her," she said steadily.

Rain struggled internally for a moment, and then decided to trust her instincts and move aside.

As the Agent moved forward purposefully, she pulled something out of her pocket; an old, faded picture of a young girl in an army hat.

"Look at it," she stated forcefully, shoving the picture in front of Jill.

The blonde inhaled slowly and acquiesced.

"She was seventeen when that picture was taken," tears now fell freely from Claire's eyes. "She ate crappy canned food and watched people die for years up until Umbrella finally found us and took her away. Then, thanks to your experiments, she stayed in cryostasis until we finally got her out and gave her the worst thing any of us can ever have anymore: hope."

Jill's eyes closed in pain as her own tears started to form.

"No, you keep your fucking eyes open because that's the only thing that's going to keep you alive right now," Claire ordered and waited for Jill to obey before she continued. "Her smile was so bright when she saw the sky again on the Arcadia; when she felt like she was going to be safe again. But soon the sky filled with aircraft from Umbrella and bullets started to rain down."

"Claire, I'm so-" Jill was cut off.

"She was hit in the abdomen. The bullet was so powerful and she was so small that it actually went right through her. I was knocked out, so I actually didn't have to watch it happen, but I asked the doctors what her final moments were like."

"Claire please, don't do this," Rain implored from behind her.

The Agent didn't even turn when she replied. "You wanted her alive, Ocampo."

The clone fixed her eyes to Jill as the story continued.

"About 15 minutes: that's how long it can take to die from a gunshot wound to the stomach. The bullet ripped through her muscles, tissue and esophagus and then the acid in her system started to mix with her blood until finally she bled out completely and her heart stopped beating."

Jill covered her mouth to stifle a sob.

"She was only alive 19 years," Claire moved closer to hammer the point home. "The last fifteen minutes of those years were spent alone, in terror and in torturous pain. She was kind, she was young, and she was beautiful. She watched after kids even though she was one herself," tears fell en masse down the woman's face as she finished. "Now she's gone. And that is all your fault."

She ripped the picture from the blonde's hands and moved purposefully out of the room. Jill gave her time to leave and then made an exit herself.

"You should have let her do it," she said sadly as she passed by yet another one of her victims.

When Rain went to follow, she was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Let her go," Kara commanded softly. "She needs some time right now."

The dark haired clone simply stared on and nodded.

* * *

"Looks like you cleared out the bar," Alice observed as she pulled up a chair next to Claire; eyes puffy from her previous encounter with Jill.

"Yeah, it seems no one really likes to be around a sad drunk," Claire answered before taking another swig of the strong clear liquid in her glass.

"I guess that makes me unique then," the dark haired hero stated before ordering a round for herself. "You gonna be ok?"

"No one's gonna be ok. You should be smart enough to know that."

"I guess they must have messed up my IQ levels when they did all of those experiments on me then, because I firmly disagree with you."

"Leave me alone, Alice," the woman's tone was tired and defeated.

"I would if I thought this crap would pull you out of your self imposed pity party," she took a drink.

"Stop it."

"No, you stop it. You and I both know your altercation with Jill Valentine was not just about her. It was about you too."

"What are you talking about?" she finished her drink and rolled her eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about," she put a hand on Claire's arm and forced the other woman to meet her gaze. "You did every single thing you could to save that girl."

"You think I don't know that?"

"Actually, no I don't think you do. You know damn well what happened to Jill when she had that thing on her chest because you wore one yourself. You tried to kill me when it was on you; or have you forgotten that?"

"That was different."

"How?"

"Because it didn't work!" she slammed her empty glass on the table. "You didn't need anyone to protect you. You could take care of yourself."

"And K-Mart couldn't."

"Exactly."

"She needed you to protect her."

"Yes."

"And you didn't."

Claire stood quickly and shattered her glass on the floor, "You want to fight today too?"

"Absolutely," Alice stood as well. "I want to fight every damn day of my life until there's not one single monster left. And I want you fighting right beside me, not against me and the other people who can help us. I want you to take all of that pain that's inside you; that's eating you alive, and I want you to point it at every obstacle that's in our way."

"And then what, Alice? Build a house with white picket fence and wait to die? Life as we know it ended the minute Umbrella came into existence. We have all seen so much horror we'll never be able to live normal lives. We have a lot more in common with those zombies out there than anyone really thinks. We're just walking shells now, that's all."

"You don't really believe that."

"Yes I do!"

"No you don't. Because if you truly believed it you wouldn't be sitting in this bar trying to drink your pain away. People don't mourn over zombies."

Claire took a swing at her but her fist was caught in Alice's palm.

"So, now you're going to fight me?"

Claire gritted her teeth in frustration.

"I've saved your life countless times, even when you tried to kill me, and I will always do that for you because I am not a husk of a human being," she tightened her grip on the fist and pulled her friend into a hug, "And neither are you. You are in pain and that means you have feelings; and if you can feel the bad you can also feel the good, but not if you keep running from everything you were meant to do. K-Mart would not want this for you and neither do I."

Claire contemplated the truth of Alice's words then tightened her hold briefly before pulling away.

"I know," she sadly conceded and looked to the floor. "I know I shouldn't have done that. Especially not in front of the other recruits. I just... I just lost myself for a minute."

Alice put one hand on her shoulder and used the other to lift up her chin, "The next time that happens, you come find me, ok?"

Claire felt herself relax into Alice's memorably intense gaze. Her eyes always said so much and right now, they were saying that she would see her through this. Whatever 'this' was; anger, grief, depression... Possibly all three.

"Ok," she responded thankfully.

Her response was returned with a reassuring half smile, before the brunette patted her shoulder and turned to leave. She only made it a few steps before a strong hand gently wrapped around her arm.

"Alice, wait," she turned to regard Claire. "I'm glad you came back. I thought I'd lost you in that fight too. Having you here, well... It almost makes me feel something close to happy again."

Alice's heart felt a tug of both pleasure and pain. On the one hand it touched her to know how much she meant to the younger Redfield sibling. On the other, the statement illuminated just how much pain Claire was truly in.

"One thing I can pretty much promise you Claire, is that I will always come back," her eyes glinted. "No matter how many times they try, they never succeed at killing me."

As they parted, both women contemplated just how much the other had impacted their lives. There had never really been any time to appreciate all of the small kindnesses. Alice constantly putting herself in front of Claire to protect her when she had amnesia. Claire drawing away the nearly unbeatable brute away from a hurt Alice in the showers of the prison. They'd both been looking out for each other for quite a while now. It felt good to experience the spark of that realization. It felt somewhat akin to coming home; whatever that meant now.

* * *

Rain waited as long as she could stand and then left to find Jill staring into the mirror of the bathroom they shared in their quarters. A pair of scissors held tight in her right hand. The very site of the sharp sheers forced the clone's stomach into her throat with terror. Slowly, she moved closer and tried to regulate her breathing so she could speak.

"Jill, are you ok?" she forced her voice to sound even keeled.

"I can't take it anymore," was the reply from a mouth that rested beneath lifeless eyes.

"Can't take what anymore?" she asked, fearing the worst.

"Looking at myself. So many innocent people saw this image before they died,' she nodded to the mirror. "I just can't stand being that anymore."

"Jill you're not that person anymore; you know you're not," she stepped close enough to stand behind the blonde; her face reflected in the mirror just over her right shoulder and hand poised to grab the scissors in case they were put to an unhealthy purpose.

"That's not what they see," she stated sadly. "It's not what I see either."

"You made me see someone else," Rain argued. "You can make them do the same."

"I honestly don't think that's possible," she raised the scissors and felt the other woman tense behind her. "But I'm going to try."

As Jill turned to face the clone she noticed the look of confusion and fear on her face. And for the first time she realized that the fear was not born of self preservation, but out of a sense of worry for the person in front of her. The very possibility that someone could feel that way about her right now forced a sad smile across Jill's face.

"Will you help me?" she asked and was regarded with a look that seemed even more confused. "I used to have short, dark hair before Umbrella got a hold of me. I think if I were able to see myself as I was back then, maybe I'd also be able to start feeling like other people can see me that way again too."

Rain regarded her seriously. The act seemed almost intimate given its representation. She was in one sense relieved because she didn't have to stop the woman from killing herself, and in another anxious, though she couldn't place the reason.

"Ok."

The words slipped from her lips without her permission and a hand reached for the scissors of its own volition. She watched shoulders ascend and descend as a deep breath entered and escaped the body before her. The blonde locks were even softer than they appeared and Rain realized she knew this because she'd just run it through her hands a few times.

"Are you sure you want me to do this? It seems like I'm kind of one of the last people that should be helping you with something like this."

The blonde head nodded before the verbal confirmation rang through, "Yes. Actually, I can't think of a more appropriate person to do this."

Gripping the scissors firmly, Rain started to cut just below the ponytail. Her movements were slow and she didn't know why. Part of her felt like this was the kind of situation that called for a 'ripping off the Band-Aid' kind of action, but another part of her imagined it all somewhat sacred. The metaphorical rebirth of a heroic entity eclipsing the death of a monster. It wasn't the time for quick, sharp precision. It was a time to Jill to lean into the pain in order to emerge victorious.

When the last strand had been severed, the clone gently pulled the ponytail holder away from its purpose and let the hair fall to frame the face of its owner. She watched in the mirror as Jill's hands rose, first to her face, and then through the shortened locks. Large teardrops descended with a weight that forced them quickly to the floor, bypassing most of the smooth expanse of perfect cheeks. Once she was finished taking herself in, she turned slowly to meet dark eyes.

"I haven't had a real hug in years," she admitted shamefully as her gaze fell to the ground. "I know things are so fucked up right now but do you think..."

"Come here," Rain rolled her eyes as she reached her arms around Jill's neck and pulled her into an embrace. She even closed her eyes for a few seconds and let herself enjoy the feeling; and then she realized something. "You know, I think this may be the first hug I've ever actually been a part of," her voice was timid and cheerful.

"Jesus," The blonde breathed sadly and softly as she pulled the girl more firmly into the embrace. The action was met with a wince from her companion and she moved away quickly to inspect its reason. "Did I hurt you?"

"Um, not on purpose or anything. I'm just really sore from all of the kicks and punches and paintballs I took throughout the day."

"Oh my God, I forgot!" Jill exclaimed. "Did you go to the doctor afterwards? You need to make sure you don't have any broken ribs or internal bleeding!"

"I'm fairly certain if I had internal bleeding I wouldn't be standing right now," the response was giggly.

"What about your ribs? If they're broken you could do further damage with all of the shit they're going to put you through in the next couple of days. At least let _me_ check them."

Before the clone had a chance to protest, a foreign hand was making its way under her shirt and delicately up to her ribcage while another snaked around her back and pulled her closer.. She gasped at the new sensation, unsure of what she was actually feeling.

"Just relax, I promise I'll be gentle," Jill reassured as she softly and slowly traced over each rib with her thumb, keeping eye contact with her patient the entire time in order to detect the first sign of pain. "Do you feel anything other than just the brief pressure?"

Rain was feeling a lot of things other than pressure. The most apparent was arousal and that was stirring up a plethora of other feelings in reaction; surprise, fear, confusion...yearning. Was she gay? Had she been gay this whole time? Was she programmed to be gay? And dear God, even if she was gay, how horribly unfortunate was it that she'd have sexual feelings for Jill Valentine!

"Rain?" the question pulled her from her internal debate. "Are you ok? This shouldn't be painful; I don't want to hurt you."

"Um no, I'm fine, I just..." she just needed to think of something quick. "You know, I was just thinking that it's really my right side that's giving me the most trouble."

"Oh, no problem. I was planning on checking both sides anyway," she said as she made her way up to the top rib and grazed the underside of her breast. Another deep intake of breath caused her to question the girl again. "What's wrong? Did you feel a sharp pain?"

"No, um..."

_For fuck's sake, you monosyllabic ass, think of something! _She berated herself.

"I'm just a little ticklish there, I guess," she recovered. "Weird, the things they code into these bodies, huh?"

"You're not all coded, Rain," Jill's tone was serious as she switched her hands around and started up the other side. "Your body was made much like it would have been naturally. All of the intricacies of it are unique. The things you like and dislike are all specific to you."

It was one of the most intimate moments Rain had ever experienced in her real life or the imagined one. This woman was caressing her body, looking directly into her eyes and essentially telling her she was unique and special. There was no part of her that was prepared for this.

"The only thing they gave you was artificial memories; you were born to feel this way."

It was with those words and the stroke of the last rib that finally forced her to break the eye contact and... Whimper? Moan? She honestly wasn't sure what the sound was that came out of her mouth. Jill allowed her a few seconds to slump before removing her hand from under the shirt and using it to pull the chin back up.

"Something is wrong," she asserted. "Please tell me what it is."

A soft chuckle escaped from the shorter woman's throat, "The dead walk the Earth, the world is ending, I'm a clone and you used to be brainwashed. What isn't wrong?"

A sad but steady smile expanded across the blonde's face.

"For me, this moment isn't wrong," she shook her head as if she didn't understand why. "I know it's fleeting and I know that when we walk out that door all the things you just mentioned will still be there, but just for now... I haven't felt this right inside in a long time."

Rain could feel her chest heaving and her heart pounding as her body reacted to everything about the woman in front of her. It was too much. She needed to retreat.

"Amazing the effect a haircut can have, isn't it?"

She used a joke. A bad joke. And even though it served its purpose in breaking the tension and eliciting a laugh, it was cowardly; and she knew it.

"Yeah, amazing. Now I just need to see if there's any chance someone saved a bottle of hair dye and everyone will want to be my friend."

"Honestly, that's what will seal the deal for me," another joke to put the walls firmly back into place.

She was answered with a smile and a nod.

"I guess we'd better get some rest then," Jill suggested. "You've got some training to do tomorrow and I've got some Clairol to seek out."

And with that they both retired to their beds and begged for sleep to come.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Before the Umbrella Corporation decided to become the world's biggest douche bag and screw over the entirety of the human race, there was this movement picking up popular speed amongst the young and bruise obsessed," Operative Kara Thrace recited as she paced in front of her recruits; both new and old. "It was called Parkour. You see it's not enough to just be fast and strong when trying to flee or reach your objective. You also need to be able to take in your surroundings quickly and analyze the best possible way to move forward. People used to do this simply to show off how awesome they were on social networks. Now, their hubris is our way of life."

The day ahead of each recruit was going to be a long one. Now that they'd proven they had what it takes to be a part of the team, they now had to take their natural ability and become even stronger.

"We have aerial connectors set up for each of the major national monuments. Sometimes it's a zip line, sometimes it's a plank, and sometimes it's nothing more than a leap of faith. The major rule is to not fall down. And if you do fall down, and still survive, then you run like hell back to home base."

Clarke's mouth, predictably, dropped open.

"Each new recruit should pair up with the more seasoned and listen carefully to what they have to say. They run this course every day and have advice to give you that could potentially save your life. So pair up and get going. I'm blowing the whistle in two minutes and the last one to make it back runs the course all over again."

Each senior recruit paired up with a newbie of comparable build, just as they had been paired up when they were new to the scene. Miller slammed a powerful chest against an equally muscular one as the brutes grunted in recognition of each other. Clarke opted for an awkward handshake that was returned just as awkwardly from a smaller male that looked like he used to be a part of the Geek Squad, but was now fully realizing his passion in a world based on his videogames. Rain moved forward to offer a hand to a moderately built, yet taller instructor. His height towered over her shorter stature and but she hoped he'd still be able to guide her well.

"Hi, my name is Rain Ocampo," she introduced. "Any advice before we get out there?"

He simply rolled his eyes at her, "It's pretty much just like Thrace said; don't fall."

"Ok, so should I try to just follow you, or watch as you take on each obstacle and try to mimic that?"

"You should try not to fall," he started stretching his legs and entering a running position. "I didn't suit up with the Resistance to train some Umbrella clone that could turn at any minute. Plus I'm working on the record for this course and I doubt by the end of it you'll even be standing."

Rain's eyes narrowed, "I guess we'll see," she prepared herself as well.

"Alright guys, ready in three, two, one..."

The whistle blared and the teams were off. Clarke and his teammate ambled through with a great deal of agility. They were both small and lanky, but not particularly quick. Especially given the detailed explanations the superior recruit insisted upon regaling. The two hulking boys were certainly not the fastest either, but they were definitely the loudest. Grunts and curses followed hefty muscle slamming against walls or pounding on bars. But the younger boy never had to worry about falling to the pits as his new comrade in arms was always there grab him by the scruff and pull him back to safety.

Rain's trek, however, was definitely an exercise in self reliance. Her mentor had blown by her fairly quickly as the first obstacle came her way, but as she started to get into the rhythm of the entire action itself, she started feeling more adept. Her movements were more graceful, naturally, due to her smaller frame and greater control; it was as if she were floating from position to position and after a while she'd even come close enough to spot her new least favorite person.

Part of her didn't want to even acknowledge the possibility that she might be able to beat him; the disappointment would be intolerable and the odds were severely against her given his knowledge of the course.

Then another part of her simply said _fuck that._

With so few things to actually wish for, hope for, and strive for in the current situation of the world it seemed almost unethical to push away the possibility for a moment's happiness.

So she increased her speed and made her final push her most concentrated effort. His legs may have been longer, but they also accounted for a greater number of missteps along the way for which he had to overcome. And though his muscle may have helped him navigate the climbing portions of the course more, it also weighed him down.

Her well distributed strength and agility helped to increase her speed but, in the end, it was her mind and spirit that won out. Rain was good at processing information quickly and she had a fire in her belly that could rival the heat of the sun.

If magic ever truly exists in the world, it exists mostly in the little guy. And if it is true that fortune favors the brave, then it must also be said that magic favors the combination of brave and crazy.

She trudged through until it hurt to breathe; until every muscle in her body felt like it was dedicated only to this one task for all of eternity. At every new obstacle she could feel her heart clutch in fear that she might misstep, overshoot, or simply fumble toward a certain death. But every time, she pulled through. And at the moment her feet skidded across the cement roof of the Whitehouse she finally let everything relax just long enough to catch her breath... And then it was time to tense up again… because she had won. And winning, most certainly required gloating when secured in the face of a true asshole.

"Yeeesssssss!" she screamed, arms raised. "Yes, yes, yes, yes yes!"

Her counterpart heaved and slumped as he tried to catch his breath. When he finally extended into a standing position his gaze was cold and angry; jaw clenched in frustration.

"Excellent job, Ocampo," Operative Thrace beamed. "Just a few seconds away from beating the record and you just got started. I think we've definitely found an area you're going to excel in. Keep up the good work."

"You got it," was the confident response.

A muffled 'whatever' could be heard as her rival slinked off in bitter resentment.

"What's his name anyway?" she asked Thrace. "He didn't bother giving it to me."

"I'd call him 'dickweed' if I were you, but his real name is Thrash."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Rain looked on incredulously.

"Some of the younger people around here didn't care for the names they had in the past, so they got to pick them. He's obviously had his head up his ass from a very young age."

"He should have picked something that wasn't so easily manipulated. It's almost like shooting fish in a barrel to call him 'Trash' or 'Rash', but ease of use certainly isn't going to stop me if he maintains his jerk-like attitude."

"That's the spirit," Thrace smiled and patted her on the back as she yelled at the rest of the 'pussies' to hurry their 'pampered little asses along'.

* * *

The concept of pumping iron at the gym was not a welcome one to the pint sized clone. Rain wasn't exactly scrawny, but her frame was certainly not as impressive as the ones attached to most of the male recruits around her. As she struggled to do a ten pound bicep curl, her counterparts were lifting fifty pounds at a time. And she could only imagine what she'd feel like tomorrow. It also didn't help that she was receiving absolutely no help from her 'partner' who was more interested in boasting to his friends and consistently grabbing his crotch every few minutes.

After dealing out as much damage she could take to her biceps she opted to try her hand at a few chest presses on one of the free benches. Starting off with ten on each side, she grunted through a few reps.

"That's no way to build muscle," the cocky voice that grated at her ears moved in closer. "You gotta start with higher weight and lower reps, chica."

She knew the last part was less term of endearment and more racial slur. She would have called him on it had he not just added five pounds to each side of her bar. Grunting she lifted it a few times and rested it back on the bar rest.

"Don't quit now," he added both the statement and ten more pounds. "You're just getting started. I thought you were some big shot."

She looked from the bar to him cautiously.

"Don't worry, I'll spot you."

It wasn't so much the idea that she believed him that caused her to push forward with the weight, but her ego overtaking her common sense. Within just a few repetitions her arms and chest were burning, and soon she simply wondered if she could pull another press off.

"Don't let me stop you, hero."

It was a stupid idea not just to rest the bar on the hold but she pushed that thought away. As her arms came down she realized the severity of her hubris. It wasn't pain that was preventing her from pressing up now, it was fatigue. The pain came when she actually had to push the request for help from her lips.

"I need a hand getting it back up," she grunted.

"What's that, I couldn't hear you over the roar of your prior victory outside," Thrash joked maniacally.

"I'm serious, man, help me out!" She hoped her request was loud and serious enough because it was getting hard to talk.

"And why should I do that?"

In one fast and fluid motion the bar was raised, one handed, back to its resting place by a newcomer to the conversation.

"Because she's my friend."

Rain looked up to the Miller's muscular frame; his face full of rage.

"Try to hurt her again and I will fucking end you."

Thrash put his arms up and backed away, "My bad, man. I'll try to pay more attention next time."

His tone was neither contrite nor sincere, but at least he was gone. Miller offered a hand and pulled her up gently once she grabbed hold.

"Be careful around that guy," he warned. "Looks like he's got it in for you and I may not be around next time."

"I wish I could say that you were overreacting, but I'm pretty sure you're right about that," she let go of the offered hand. "Thanks a lot, Miller. I honestly don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been there."

"It's no problem, we're supposed to watch out for each other, right?" his smile was both sincere and calming.

"That's the way I see it," she nodded.

"Listen, I wanted to thank you too."

"For what?" her brow furrowed in confusion.

"What you did yesterday, in the pit," he could sense she still didn't know what he was referring to. "When Clarke was stuck out there and I was ready to just leave him for dead... What you said... It kind of made a light bulb go off in my head. I've been living in self preservation mode for so long that I forgot what it meant to be human, you know."

As her smile widened he shook his shaggy hair and continued.

"When I was in school, before all of this shit went down and the world turned into a nightmare, I used to be the kid on the playground that fought the bullies. I've always been kind of tall and strong. I remember how it used to make me feel so good inside to be kind of this protector for the smaller kids. You made me feel that again yesterday for the first time in years and it means a lot to me. So, thank you."

"I'm not sure if I deserve all of that, but you're certainly welcome."

Their exchange was interrupted by the sarcastic tones of their fearless leader.

"I'm sorry to break up this little love fest guys but I need to speak to Ocampo privately for a moment if that's alright," Thrace requested.

"Sure, I need to get back to the weights anyway," once again, he smiled at the dark haired clone.

The Operative rolled her eyes, then lead her subordinate towards the outer edges of the gym floor.

"You know he's totally got a thing for you, right?" she asserted.

"Excuse me?" genuine confusion settled over Rain's face.

"Miller, he likes you," Thrace replied incredulously.

"No he doesn't, he's just a nice guy. The boy's about as helpful and wholesome as Captain America."

"Yeah, that's why he blushed when he was spewing that ridiculously appreciative bile about his newfound humanity."

_Did he blush? I can't remember. _Rain wondered. _If he did, then how do I feel about that?_

She let her mind wander in that direction for a few seconds more then dismissed her musings.

"Is that what you pulled me aside for? You wanted to have some kind of school girl conversation about boys?"

"Oh! Right, no," the operative remembered her prior intent. "I came to talk to you about the altercation you almost just had."

"You saw, huh?" Rain rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, not sure if you noticed, but it's kind of my job to pay attention to what you guys are doing."

"Really? Because it seemed like your job was torturing us while making half way witty comments," she joked.

"Whatever, if I didn't make you laugh, you'd cry," Thrace scoffed. "Anyway, I saw what happened and I wanted you to know that you've got good people on your side. Even though Miller stepped in, I saw Clarke eyeing the scene too and, scrawny as the kid is, I'm pretty sure he'd have had your back as well. And, obviously if that didn't happen I'd have put that little shit in his place."

"Yeah," Rain nodded her head. "I know that. I get that I'm safe."

"See, that's the problem; you're not. Not really," The Operative's features grew serious. "Not outside of this room. If it's not him, it could be someone else. No matter how much we'd like to ignore it, the fact of the matter is the monsters outside of these walls were made by man. And there's plenty of mankind in here. You need to learn how to fight... quickly."

"Isn't that what I'm here for?"

"Obviously we're going to teach you the basics, but Thrash is already ahead of you in his training. And it occurs to me that you have an in with, quite possibly, two of the greatest martial artists left in the world. Agents Alice and Valentine have all of that super hardcore Umbrella training embedded upon their persons. If you can get them to show you a few moves, it'd put you ahead of the curve... And I've seen you fight, that curve is pretty damn sharp."

"You know it's perplexing how you can sound both caring and condescending all at the same time."

"I could've gone for 'You flail around like a fish when you punch and I fear for your life' but I'm trying to work on my people skills."

"Excellent. You'll graduate from the title of dick to asshole in no time."

"Well, while I'm in the throes of the 'taint' phase, how bout you take my advice and see if you can get a little help from your friends?"

With a two finger salute Rain smiled and responded, "Will do, sir."

The blonde shook her head and chuckled as her charge made her way back to the gym equipment. A tap on the shoulder startled her as she turned to seek out the source. Her gaze fell on crimson red hair framing a familiar face.

"Agent Redfield, hey, what's up?"

"Ooo. Agent Redfield," Claire winced her face. "Guess you really are pissed about me being a total jerk and knocking you down yesterday."

"Whatever," the reply came with a smirk and the aversion of the eyes. "You only got the better of me because I kind of wanted to see you pummel the Blonde Betrayer."

"Even still, I hurt you and I don't like that I did that," Claire's face was serious.

A smile grew on Kara's face, "That's because we're friends."

The redhead huffed, "We're not friends, we're... we're on the same team. And teammates don't beat up on each other."

"It must be so difficult to live in denial. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about our flourishing platonic relationship."

Claire exhaled and shook her head, "The point is I'm sorry, ok."

"Apology accepted, my friend. Now, tell me what's going on in your head concerning the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Hatred, malice and any number of different kinds of murderous thoughts; nothing too far from the usual stuff. They're just all directed at one person."

"You gonna be able to contain yourself?"

"I don't have much choice in the matter. We need strong people on our side and Umbrella made sure she matches that profile."

"You know, it's kind of karmically coincidental that you're coming to me asking for forgiveness for hurting me, though you didn't mean to, and yet your main problem is forgiving a woman who's caused you pain even though she didn't actually mean to."

Thrace knew she should have kept the realization to herself as soon as the words exited her mouth given the sour look that appeared on Claire's face followed by a cover-up smile.

"See, this is exactly why we're not friends," the reply was followed by a swift exit by the Agent.

"Shit, Claire, wait."

The words fell hard on the gym room floor as the Operative's hand slammed hard on her forehead. "Why do I have to be such a taint?"

* * *

"Seriously Alice, you have to give me an assignment. I'm going crazy just sitting around this place," Jill demanded as she trounced into Alice's makeshift ready room.

"You've obviously been keeping quite busy with the scissors," was the reply. "And where the hell did you find that hair dye?"

"Let's just say I owe the one surviving Goth member of society a great deal of depressing records should we ever venture out of this place into the ruins of suburbia. Anyway that's not the point. I need something to do. I need to shoot some zombies or slaughter some mutations. Anything you've got."

Alice listened as she scanned over multiple charts and schematics strewn about her desk, "I understand your need for action, Jill, I really do but Wesker tends to think it may be best for you to stick around and rest for a while. You've been through a lot; you're just getting back on your feet and on top of all that, you've entered a somewhat hostile environment. If you were to go into action now you may not be at your best."

"Wesker thinks this." It was a statement, not a question; as if to imply Alice had gone completely insane by agreeing with anything the former Umbrella alumni might be saying.

"Yes, Wesker thinks this and I agree," she looked up briefly from her paperwork to extend the seriousness of her tone. "We have very few capable people left in this fight and we can't go losing our best soldiers for anything; not even cabin fever."

"This is ridiculous," she fumed, throwing her hands up in the air. "It's Albert Wesker we're talking about; the man who has done everything he can to screw this entire planet. He's the reason I was drugged and brainwashed and killed so many people. The man who has tried to kill every person on this team! And you're just going to bow to his every whim now?"

Alice stood at full height to address her, "I am not bowing to anyone, including you. I challenge Wesker on the fights that need fighting and I agree with him when he's making sense. All the while making sure he gets the undertone that when all of this is over I will find a way to kill him. But in this case he's absolutely right. You're not leaving these grounds until you've been cleared by me."

"And how long is that gonna take?"

"Depends, if your hair turns pink tomorrow the sentence could fluctuate."

The tension eased for a moment as both women cracked and let out small, ever so brief, chuckles. Alice came from around the desk and put a hand on her friend's arm.

"I need you more than I need most people if we're going to even stand a chance of winning this war. But I need you strong and stable. Understand?"

Jill rolled her eyes, but finally gave a nod of agreement, "Fine, I get it. But at least give me something to do around here. I can't just sit in my room all day and twiddle my thumbs."

"Or sit in front of your tablet all day and stalk the newest recruit?"

Though taken aback for a moment, she agreed. "That too. Although I would suggest not throwing stones in glass houses given that you too have obviously been doing some spying of your own."

"Believe me, I'd rather not, but they have you under a temporary surveillance watch just to make sure that bug is completely out of your system. Better me checking in on you when I have a free moment than some pervert you don't know trying to get a glimpse of your goods."

"Gee, I'm so glad I decided to have a little chat with you. I feel better already."

The sarcasm was mixed with understanding rather than spite, which Alice was grateful for.

"I seem to recall reading that you're rather handy with a sniper rifle. They have guard details set-up 24/7 around the perimeter to try to spot any crucial threats. If you like I can put you up in one of the bird's nests and give you a few shifts."

"I'm good at everything; they made me that way," she replied directly. "But if that's all you've got, I'll take the next one available."

Alice smiled and shook her head, "Good shooting."

Pausing for a brief moment, she added "I like the hair, Jill. It's good to see you like this again."

"Let's just hope everyone else gets the picture too," she said flippantly, making her exit.

Just as she reached for the door handle she stopped and, without turning, said "Thank you, Alice."

And with that she was gone, leaving the great hope of the future to her daunting tasks.

* * *

After a grueling day of physical torture, Rain tried to retire to the room she shared with Jill for a little relaxing conversation. The only problem was that Jill was decidedly missing from the room, which meant any conversing that could have taken place would most certainly be regarded as psychotic should anyone overhear it from outside, or walk in on her during a personal inner monologue. So, instead of simply lying in bed and staring at the ceiling like a zombie (the thought alone creeped her out more and more with each passing day) she decided to exit the building and try going for a walk instead. She found the last one she took to be quite successful.

Making her way to the rooftop, she ended up bumping into the very person who made her last trip so pleasant.

"Oh, shit," she exclaimed. "Sorry Claire. I wasn't paying attention."

"Don't tell me you're all suicidal again because I've already had kind of a rough week and I don't so much feel up to talking you down," her tone would have been funny had her face not been so dour.

"No, I was actually in a good mood. Just have some extra energy to burn off somehow and I was going crazy in my room."

"Oh, good. That's probably the best news I've received all day," a genuine half-smile broke free. "Why don't you go explore a little, though? You've already seen the rooftop. It's kind of a bummer. The Lincoln Memorial's not too far away."

The clone scrunched her forehead in confusion.

"Yeah, there's just the inconvenience of hundreds of monsters between here and there. I know I killed the obstacle course earlier in the daylight, but I'm not willing to take my chances in the dark."

With a roll of her eyes, Clair countered, "We've got tunnels set up, Einstein. How do you think we were able to set up the aerial pathways in the first place? Now that you're fully fledged member of society, you've got access to them."

"That would have been nice to know. Thrace never said anything about it."

"Well, I guess that's one more reason for me to ride her ass," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Seriously, though, you should at least go check out one of the other installations. We can keep everyone housed here and it's nice to take in a change of scenery; if only to try to get out of your head for a while. Just head down to in-take and make a right. You can't miss the entrance."

"Thanks, Claire!"

She felt a rush of excitement travel through her veins. Rain had started to fear that the rest of her life would be spent behind the walls of the Whitehouse. The simple act of traveling a few yards away was invigorating to her. It was almost enough to rebuild a sense of hope for the future.

As she took her leave, then energy was not lost on the redhead. Claire breathed in the sense of excitement as her young friend ventured forth and allowed herself to feel the small bit of good it promoted.

Once on the roof, she noticed the distinct stench of stale cigar smoke and inwardly cringed before turning the corner to find exactly whom she expected to see.

"Thrace, what are you doing up here with that thing? Everyone knows you're supplies are low and you ration them for special occasions."

"Who says this isn't a special occasion?" The blonde drew in the smoke as she crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall.

"What are you celebrating then?" Claire tried to light her own toxin infused stink stick, but her lighter was obviously out of fluid.

Kara answered the question as she moved to her rescue with a match, "I'll have you know that I am growing as a person."

"Really?" the tone was incredulous as she paused before moving her cigarette into the flame.

"Really. Ocampo even told me so."

"I obviously misjudged the new recruit's intelligence," she deadpanned, finally puffing at her smoke. "How exactly are you growing as a person?"

"I'm learning how to be nice to people."

"Well, keep up the good work, Thrace," she nodded and moved toward the wall.

"I am. What do you think I'm trying to do right now?" Kara followed suit.

"Annoy me?" Claire leaned against the railing and looked out into the night sky.

"Oh come on, I don't have many cigars left and I'm using this one right here as an excuse to talk to you. The least you could do is hear me out."

"I don't need to hear you out." She exhaled steadily.

"Why, because you're an Agent?" her blood was starting to boil. "Because you're too good to converse with one of the lower animals on the food chain? I may not be there yet, Redfield, but I'm gonna get there one day and when I do I'm going to pay attention when someone calls me on my bullshit whether they're on my level or not."

"Is this you growing as a person?" Claire asked with a smile before taking a drag. "Because you suck at it."

"Look, I said what I said earlier because it was the truth and I thought you could handle it. You've been walking around like some rabid, wounded puppy ever since Jill Valentine got here and it's taking your edge off. The old you would have punched me in the shoulder and thanked me for stating the obvious, but you... you just got all pissy and walked away."

"You're right," the agreement was heard, but not processed.

"And here I am, trying to make things better and you're just standing there-"

"Agreeing with you," Claire cut her off.

"Exactly! Agreeing with me..." the words started to take. "Wait what?"

"I'm agreeing with you, Thrace," she turned to regard the frustrated operative with only a touch of humility. "You were exactly right about what you said to me today. I just didn't want to hear it."

"I was?" the cigar had been all but completely forgotten.

The reply came with a sad but sincere smile, "Look, one of my best friends died violently. The person responsible for her death doesn't actually exist anymore, yet there's someone walking around in her skin. I have all of this pain and anger churning inside me and I have absolutely nowhere to put it because the cause of it all is gone now."

"So, what are you gonna do?" Kara leaned in next to her and looked out at the same sky.

"The only thing I can do," she answered. "I have to find a way to move on."

"Moving on is for chumps. I know a thing or two about anger; and I say take the fight out there," she nodded toward the throng of undead.

"You're also working on acquiring more than one friend."

"Friendship's overrated," she smiled.

"Then why do you try so hard to be mine?" Claire challenged her by looking at her dead on.

The Operative looked back for a second then took one final drag from her cigar before flicking it out to masses.

"Because it's good to have friends in high places," she moved to exit the roof, but was stopped by a grip on her bicep.

"The main difference between us and them," she cocked her head towards the monsters, "is our capacity to care for something outside of ourselves. If you continue shutting off to people, you'll become the same monster you're fighting."

Kara looked at her stone cold in the eyes with a deliberate grin setting in over her lips, then grabbed the hand that was holding her in place and squeezed softly.

"Then stop making it so difficult for me show that I care."

The mutual gaze held for a few more seconds before the blonde made the decision to cut it off, "Goodnight, Claire."

* * *

The walk through the tunnels was far less introspective than she'd imagined it to be due to the fact that Rain bumped into Miller on the way out and was asked if she'd like some company. She obliged him at first because she genuinely liked the guy, but also because she wondered how much more she might be able to like him.

Rain had been trying to figure out who she really was ever since she'd been privy to the information that she was a clone. Then, after her oddly erotic experience last night with Jill, the relevance of her sexuality came fiercely into play. Was she gay? Was she bisexual? Was she only into Jill? The last query made her shiver. What kind of masochist did one have to be to have sexual feelings for someone who'd been so brutal in the past?

Whatever was going on with her, she needed to figure it out and fast. So, why not take a chance on the strong, kind, attractive male specimen right in front of her. Kara pointed out his obvious attraction earlier; maybe she was right. And he certainly wouldn't be bad to keep close. They guy was a born protector. She wouldn't need to spend so much time practicing with Jill if she was on his arm outside of training.

As they made their way to the monument she half stayed in her head thinking about those possibilities and half listened to the blond explain his back story. Miller was your run-of-the-mill, corn-fed Iowa boy with church on Sundays and a football scholarship just waiting to be signed. He loved his family, loved his game and loved his country. Then everything came crashing down and he found himself burying half the people he loved and running from the other half that he couldn't save.

"I was always so strong, you know. I could do anything," his eyes started to fill with tears, but he didn't dare let them spill over. "But none of that mattered in the end. I wasn't strong enough to save any of them. I was barely strong enough to save myself."

"You saved me today," Rain noted. "You saved Clarke the day before. I have a feeling you're going to save a lot of people before this whole thing is over."

"You really think that one day it will all be over?" He asked as they moved along the pillars of the building.

"Well, if I were cynical, I'd probably say that it has to be over one way or another," they both smiled sadly and stopped. "But yeah, I think that there is a part of me that believes one day the human race will actually come out on top of all of this."

"You're different from the others, you know," he said, gazing into her eyes as if they were filled with stars. "And not because you're a clone, that's not what I'm trying to say. You have this... this light about you. This goodness. Like the hope hasn't been beaten out of you for the last few years."

She looked down sadly, "That's because it hasn't. Good, bad or indifferent; the reason I'm not the same as the others has everything to do with the fact that I'm a clone. I've only really been living in this world for a few days. I'm just new; not special."

"You're wrong about that," he said, lifting her chin with his big, strong hand.

She knew from the moment his fingers touched her face that he was about to kiss her. It couldn't have been more perfect either. If Cupid himself had been having an off day and were pissed off at the world he still would have said "Ah, fuck it, how can I not shoot those two into the bowels of perfect love."

So, right there and then, in front of Abraham Lincoln and a couple hundred zombies, Rain Ocampo shared her first kiss with Miller, the dopey eyed hero of Iowa. It was sweet, soft and unhurried. Everything she could have possibly wanted from the physical expression of mutual admiration.

But internally, she felt nothing. No fireworks, no flairs, not even a spark. He was strong, handsome, brave and kind. And though it made all the sense in the world to her brain that she should be attracted to him, her body simply would not acquiesce. And with that thought, her face fell. And Miller noticed.

"Oh my God. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I was totally reading your signals wrong and now I've gone and kissed you and made things weird."

"No, no!" she put her hands on his face to calm him. "That's not it, I was absolutely sending out the signals that you were picking up. I wanted you to kiss me."

"Ahhh" his face scrunched in embarrassment. "Great, that means it sucked."

"No! Jesus, I'm not explaining this very well," she clambered. "It absolutely did not suck. In fact, that kiss would have been amazing for probably any other number of girls who... who were into guys."

_Holy shit! Did I really just come out to him? Did I really just come out to myself? I've been on this planet less than a month and already I know I'm gay?_

"Wait, you're gay?" He asked, confused.

"I... Yeah, I think I am. I mean, I have feelings for girls," she faltered, realizing her mistake. "I mean a girl. Not girls plural. I... this is all kind of confusing for me and I can only imagine what you're thinking but the thing is I really like you, and I really don't want to like this girl that I have those feelings for, so I thought that because you are so awesome that maybe if we kissed I could have feelings for you instead. But then..."

"You didn't," he finished for her.

"I didn't," she agreed and her eyes grew sad. "And I'm a horrible person for just using you in my little experiment."

At this he laughed out loud.

"What is it? What are you laughing at?" she asked, concerned and feeling a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed at that," he apologized trying to get his chuckles under control. "You may not be an expert about yourself, but you're definitely not all that familiar with guys either. I'm pretty sure I'll live after being a part of your little experiment."

"Really?" She asked hopefully. "You mean you're not mad at me? You still want to be my friend?"

Again he laughed and then put his arm around her shoulders, guiding them back toward the tunnels that lead to their newfound home.

"I'm not mad at you at all. I'm glad you told me. And I'm pretty sure coming out to me kind of seals the deal on our friendship. It shows you trust me enough to be yourself in front of me. And now, since we're such good friends, you've got to tell me... Who's the girl? It's Thrace isn't it?"

"What? No!" she playfully smacked him on his broad chest. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. You're the only one she really seems to be nice to."

The conversation continued as they both made their way into the tunnel duct and out of the sights of the crosshairs that had been locked on them from hundreds of yards away. From her perch in the crow's nest, Jill Valentine had been monitoring the yard with diligence until her scope fell upon the two young recruits talking at the memorial. Her instincts told her she should look away for a multitude of reasons; Rain's privacy and her own feelings being at the forefront, but her eye did not wander. She watched the entire scene unfold and by the time it ended with the two lovebirds leaving the scene all cuddled up; her heart was balled up in the pit of her stomach.

She knew she had absolutely no right to the jealousy that was building inside of her, nor the anger that threatened to consume her being so much that she wished to pummel that boy for no reason other than his lips dared to touch the ones hers were begging to kiss. But just because her feelings weren't justifiable, didn't mean they weren't still real. And present. Very present.

The clearing of a throat pulled her from her reverie and she turned to see the familiar face of yet another one of Rain's new friends.

"Um, hi Agent Valentine. I'm operative Kara Thrace; I'm here to relieve you of your shift. Didn't want to sneak up on you or anything."

She looked down sadly. Another reminder of the fear she instilled in these people was not what she needed right now.

"What, you afraid I'm going to kill you too?"

"No, it's just that I'm generally cautious coming up behind anyone holding a sniper rifle."

Jill shook her head, "Right, I'm sorry, I've had a long day."

Kara smiled in understanding, "Well, why don't you go back to your quarters and rest. There are plenty of us out here burning the midnight oil to try and keep you safe."

"I wish getting rest in my quarters was that simple," she said more to herself than her companion in the small space. "Thanks for relieving me."

Before she made her exit she turned to ask a quick question.

"Hey, that blond haired kid on your squad; what do you make of him?"

"Miller? He's a strong guy, pretty quick on his feet. I think he'll make a good recruit once he gets trained."

"Personally, I mean," Jill clarified. "What do you think of him? Like, for Rain?"

"Oh, you noticed that too, huh?"

"Kind of hard not to," Jill looked to the ground.

"I think he's sweet and would treat her really well. She could do a lot worse."

Thrace didn't mean the words the way they were heard, and she had no idea the places Jill was taking them to. But that didn't stop the former Umbrella drone from feeling as if she'd been stabbed in the heart. With a stiff nod she issued her goodnight and started to head down the ladder.

"Doesn't matter though," Thrace noted as she set up the gun on her perch.

"Excuse me?" Jill halted her descent.

"Well, I mean, the kid's nice and all, but come on," she looked to the Agent as if she should already know where the conversation was headed. When nothing came she finally spit out what she was thinking. "I could be wrong, but I'm usually not when it comes to this kind of thing. I'm pretty sure Ocampo plays for the other team."

Jill felt a sudden burst of hope explode in her heart. Of course she'd thought the young clone to be a lesbian, but she'd just assumed that was because she wanted her to be one so badly. She didn't actually have any proof to make that assumption hold up.

"You think Rain is gay?"

"You don't?" Thrace asked, as if the possibility were simply unfathomable.

With a chuckle Jill simply shook her head and waved the conversation off. "I think I'm going to bed. Good hunting, Operative Thrace."

As the echo of combat boots on metal steps became softer and softer, Kara simply shook her head and smiled to herself.

"I think I just figured out someone else who plays for our team now, as well."

* * *

By the time Jill had made it back to her quarters the room smelled of soap and felt moist and warm. She found rain sitting on her bed, combing her damp hair in preparation for bed.

"Hey, you found some hair dye!" she beamed happily, dropping the brush on the bed and moving toward her roommate. As she ran her hands through the object of discussion, Jill couldn't help the smile that started to creep across her face; and the clone couldn't help noticing the butterflies that were growing in her stomach. "It looks great. Suits you."

"Thanks. I feel a lot better now. I'm glad you like it."

After realizing she was lingering the clone inwardly chastised herself and moved to a more respectable distance.

"Where were you tonight?" she asked, changing the subject. "I came in earlier and you were gone, so I decided to take a walk. Did you know they have tunnels running all along the city?"

"Yeah, I was briefed about them when I first got here," Jill tried to answer both questions posed. "I was kind of going stir crazy, so I asked Alice to set me up with an assignment. I've been watching the perimeter for the past few hours."

"Oh, cool. How was that?"

"Interesting," was the simple answer she chose to give. "How was your walk?"

Rain thought for a moment, looking for the right word. "Illuminating. I think I made a new friend."

"You're good at that," Jill stated. A sense of peace washing over her at the truth of the statement.

Rain smiled at the compliment, and then something occurred to her. Jill was at least partially attracted to women; she may be able to lend some insight to her own situation.

"Jill can I ask you a question?"

"Um, you just did," she answered with a smile as she took off her top and switched it for a night shirt.

As soon as the bare flesh was exposed, Rain decided to jump ship on her prior purpose of investigation. She thought fast on her feet to find another line of questioning and was thankful that she had another point lined up immediately.

"Would you mind going through some combat drills with me tomorrow?"

"Sure, no problem. Why me though? Aren't they teaching you that stuff in your recruitment classes?"

"They are, but Kara suggested I get a little extra training because..." she wanted to confide in her friend about the bullying that was going on within her ranks, but decided that would only cause Jill to take action against Trash. She wanted to solve this problem on her own. "...well, because I just really just suck at fighting so far."

Jill exhaled a laugh at the admission, "Sounds like good advice. How bout we run through some sword drills tomorrow morning?"

"Great, thanks," she moved to get into bed just as the light in the room was extinguished.

There was something about the darkness that seemed to give Rain more of a sense of anonymity, which also gave her the courage to ask her previous question.

"Jill?"

"Yes?"

"That wasn't really the question I wanted to ask you," she admitted. "I mean, I do need you to train me, but I wanted to ask you about something else too."

"Ok," Jill moved to turn on the light and Rain stopped her as soon as she heard her shift.

"No, wait, leave the light off."

"You really have no idea how creepy you're being right now," she mentioned.

"I'm sorry, it's just, I need to ask you something kind of personal and I don't think I can look at you when I do it."

"Somehow, that's even creepier. Just spit it out so we can go to sleep."

"Ok, um..."

_Dear God, just do it! You've already kicked one foot off the cliff, there's really no going back now!_

"I know you've at least been attracted to one woman... are you only attracted to women?" she cringed inwardly at the sound of her own voice.

"Oh... Wow... That is personal," Jill was shocked. "I'm glad the lights are off now, too."

"I'm sorry; you don't have to answer that. It was totally inappropriate of me to ask."

Her tone was held so much embarrassment it actually served to calm Jill's nerves and offer her the inclination exhale a soft laugh.

"No, it's fine; don't worry about it. I'll tell you what. I'll answer your question, if you'll answer one of mine, ok?"

This was sooooo probably not a good idea, but still Rain answered "Ok."

"I am only attracted to women," she smiled to herself. "I've known that about myself for as long as I've been attracted to anyone. I'm gay, Rain."

Though she couldn't see it, the clone wore a smile of her own.

"Alright, quid pro quo," Jill collected on their arrangement. "Are you asking me this because you think you might be attracted to women as well?"

"Yes."

It was kind of incredible to her that one simple word could be so amazingly freeing. It wasn't even a big deal in the world they were living in. People were concerned with keeping their heads attached to their bodies, not the sexuality of the person next to them, making sure that happened. Still, it was important to her. This one thing that she could actually say she knew without a doubt.

"Are you only attracted to women?"

The question pulled her from her thoughts.

"Hey, that's two questions; I only asked you one."

Jill agreed with a soft laugh, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Then, after a few more seconds in the dark, she heard the girl softly whisper "I think so" followed by a "Goodnight Jill". Which was returned with an equally as soft "Goodnight Rain".

And then the two homosexual zombie hunters finally fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 7

Author's note: I just wanted to thank everyone for the excellent feedback I've received so far. If you are enjoying this story please feel free to drop me a few lines to let me know. It is so very much appreciated and serves to feed my muse. Here's the next bit.

Chapter 7

Time only passes like an 80's movie montage when experienced from the front row of hindsight. As Rain slowly side-stepped to circle her opponent, every single part of her was stronger and sharper than it was in the three months that had passed. Her body had been molded and formed into an efficient machine after hour upon hour in the gym and on the field. Her instincts and reflexes were refined further than they'd ever been before. And she was just getting started.

Patience.

Beneath the new physical attributes there lay all the mental lessons learned. And at the forefront of those lessons was patience. She'd learned early on that allowing herself to lose control usually cost a victory of some kind; especially when the instant involved Jill Valentine. So, she took her steps with deliberate grace; waiting for her challenger to strike.

But Jill was good at waiting too. Especially when it came to the dedicated and gifted clone. The amount of progress she'd made in such a brief period of time was simply a testament to the girl's will and the fire that burned deep in her core. Rain was becoming herself; amplified. And that only served to draw in Jill's attention more effectively. And as they glided through the morning ritual of their little dance, she knew the clone was only somewhat at her mercy; awaiting her first strike.

CRACK!  
CRACK!  
CRACK!

Wooden training sticks popped against each other with ferocity as the student deflected the combo and the teacher drew back to re-group.

"It's amazing how quickly you've improved," the Agent remarked, reminiscing about a time when she didn't dare strike at the recruit with the full force of her blows.

* * *

_Three months ago…_

"_Oh my God, Rain, I'm so sorry."_

_Their first session had left a bruise across the clone's arm about an inch in diameter. As soon as Jill heard the yelp she dropped her stick and rushed to her side._

_"Jill it's fine; it's just tender that's all," she tried to reassure._

_"I could have broken your forearm," softly she touched the injured area. "I don't think this training is such a good idea. I think you need more time with the other instructors."_

_"I don't have time, Jill," she argued emphatically. "I need to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can. You've seen how it is out there! Time is not a luxury we've got."_

_"Then learn from someone else," she stood to leave the mat. "I'm not going to be the one to teach you."_

_"What?!" Rain got to her feet quickly and grabbed hold of Jill's wrist. "You're the best. Who better to learn from? Besides, I want it to be you."_

_"Well I don't, ok," she pulled her hand back._

_Rain darted in front of her, "What because of a bruise? I've got hundreds of them at this point. Bruises are a part of my job title now. One or two more aren't going to matter."_

_"Yes, they will."_

_"No, they won't."_

_"Yes they will; to me. They'll matter because they came from me," Jill's entire body was as firm as her stance on the situation._

_Rain took her in for a few seconds and allowed her eyes to soften, "Does it hurt you when you think about hurting me?"_

_Jill barely breathed as she finally decided to let her next sentence slide from her tongue. "Do you really have to ask me that at this point?"_

_And with that, Rain moved in closer, bringing her arm back up to reveal the enflamed skin. "Do you know what this means?"_

_Green eyes scanned the area and glossed over ever so lightly, "It means I sent a piece of wood hurdling down on you so fast and hard that it burst the capillaries below your skin and caused the surrounding tissue to fill with blood."_

_"Ok, that was revoltingly literal, but not exactly what I was looking for," she shook the image out of her head. "This means I get to keep my arm next time. This means that if I'm ever in a fight with a real sword I'll remember this pain, and this moment and this mistake. And I'll remember what I learned from you. I'll remember the way your eyes darted slightly just before you struck. How your muscles flinched and your teeth gritted. Long after this bruise fades away I'll have this memory and that's what will help me on the field. This," she shoved the arm closer to Jill's face, "gives me the chance to go out there and live. Some things in life can't be experienced without pain. I want to live; really live. I need you to help me survive, and sadly, you're just going to have to hurt me a little bit to do it. Ok?"_

* * *

"Ok," Jill took a breath and gave her next order. "Your turn. Come at me."

They weren't even close to evenly matched and both women knew it. Jill was good about adjusting her level of skill to allow her sparring partner a chance. Most of the time she still won the bout but, every now and then, Rain would seize an opening she'd neglected and land a solid hit; both surprising and pleasing her stalwart tutor. That moment would not be happening today.

Though her movements were graceful and calculated, she simply could not attain the upper hand. So much so, that at one point she ended up disarmed and dodging and weaving for her life. As Jill's eyes grew predatory, she knew that it was a do or die situation.

"It's time to yield, Rain."

This courtesy was extended each and every time the young padawan was metaphorically or physically backed into a corner. And each and every time it was refused with nothing more than an animalistic grin and a spite filled kamikaze effort to illustrate that she'd never simply 'yeild'.

Rain threw all of her weight into a full on charge as she aimed for Jill's midsection and connected with an "oomph". Both women fell, as did the sword, with the force of the blow and what followed could really be described as an act that could only be truly appreciated with the added bonus of mud and a wrestling ring.

Heavy breathing, grunts, gasps and groans filled the room like the music from an orchestra. Truth be told, the struggle could have been over in a matter of seconds if it weren't for the enjoyment Jill received from being so close to the other woman. And though Rain would certainly shy away from admitting it, she always hoped their matches would last a while as well.

When it was finally time to for the dance to end the Agent swiftly maneuvered herself atop the clone's stomach and pinned her arms soundly above her head. The captured prey tensed up harder than she'd been through the entire fight in an effort to buck loose, but in the end she knew that there was no more room for resistance and allowed her body to slowly relax.

"You know this happens every time you refuse the chance to surrender," Jill noted, her face so close to her captors that her short hair was brushing the girl's cheeks. "Why do you always fight back?"

"I guess it's just not in me to give up," Rain answered, her breathing so labored it repeatedly caressed the Agent's face.

The admission of foolish bravery may have passed through the girl's lips unabashedly, but truth be told there was another reason she always opted to fight; one that she hadn't dared actually admit, even to herself. Part of her enjoyed being confined by Jill. It was both safe and scary all at the same time.

"You know you'll have to pay for it," a mischievous smile played across the victor's lips.

"Don't I always," the clone smirked. "What do you want?"

There were about 8 billion different ways Jill wanted to answer that question. But she always defaulted to the one thing that sated her fantasies just enough send her into a state of bliss as well; as drive her to the very depths of sexually repressed insanity.

"You know what I want," she answered expectantly.

With a roll of her eyes and a smile, Rain acquiesced, "Back rub it is, then. I'll pay up tonight. Now, get off of me, you sadist."

As they left to hit the showers they passed by the crowd of new recruits, mostly male, that had started gathering near their training mat around the same time every morning. It would be rather safe to say that more than a couple cold showers were needed in addition to the two fighters on the mat.

* * *

The light of the computer screen reflected in the hazel eyes of Operative Kara Thrace as she scrolled down Umbrella's security clearance information files. An idea had popped into her head concerning the rest of the currently functioning Umbrella facilities and it turned out her hunch concerning security was spot on; at least in one case.

"BOO!"

She was startled clear out of her seat from the booming voice that expressed itself so close to her ear. When she turned to see her young protégé standing two feet away from her laughing hysterically she was much less than amused.

"You little shit!" she exclaimed, smacking Rain in the process. "I could have turned around and snapped your neck!"

"Yeah, right," was the giggly reply. "You'd have more likely pissed your pants. Aren't you operatives supposed to have heightened senses? You should have picked up on me coming up behind you."

"Why don't we just look at this as more of a testament to my training, rather than a failure on my senses?"

"I guess, in the end, that logic makes us both look good, so I'll take it," she perused the screen. "What's got you so engrossed in the computer? Porn?"

"Not this time," the answer was taciturn. "I've actually found something pretty interesting and it involves you, so I might as well go ahead and tell you what I'm up to."

"Ooo, sounds lucrative. Whatcha got?" she pulled up a chair.

"Ok," she stood from her chair so she could pace as she explained. "When Wesker organized this little group he also gave certain people access to some of Umbrella's top secret files. This includes facility locations, security clearance list, biological weapons info, the whole nine. I don't actually have clearance to view any of this, but as we both know I'm kind of crafty and weaseled my way into some pass codes."

"Your ability to rebel is inspiring," Rain beamed.

"I know!" Thrace exclaimed as if it should be so obvious to everyone. "Anyway, back to our story. Umbrella is still 'manufacturing' lots and lots of baddies. The shit that is constantly banging on our doors trying to get in doesn't just appear out of thin air, it's constructed in these remaining facilities. The only problem is we've never had access to any of them and trying to get in without clearance is far too risky. Now, we can bypass codes and keypads; that's no problem, what we can't do is manipulate the fingerprint and retinal scanners..." she hesitated briefly before letting her next sentence fly. "That's where you come in."

"Wait, what do you mean? How do I come in here?"

The confusion on her face made Kara uneasy as she tried to figure out how to delicately explain the next part.

"You were one of the highest performing...base models, Rain," she awaited understanding to seep in and continued once she noticed eyebrows rising on the girl's face. "These facilities have to be run by someone. Right now, they're mostly taken care of by clones and the few remaining 'human' members left on umbrella's side. Of all the clones recruited for the resistance, you're the only one with security clearance to any of the facilities. Your fingerprints and retina would work on their checkpoints. It's limited, but it would be enough to get us in the door and probably deeper into the facilities."

"I see," the clone nodded in understanding but it was certainly a lot to take in.

Rain had only been on a handful of assigned missions. Most of them being extremely low risk and still there were multiple instances where she'd just barely escaped some kind of serious injury or even death. The takedown of an Umbrella facility would be way more dangerous than anything she'd encountered so far... With the exception of the narrow escape she'd taken part in during the Russian evacuation. Past that, if a facility required her genetic makeup to enter, one could easily deduce that there were plenty more of 'her' inside. 'Hers' that would require taking out to reach the end goal.

"Yeah," Thrace nodded her head at the heft of the situation.

"So you're basically talking about needing me to get into these places so we can take them out?"

"Actually, I was thinking more taking over, rather than taking out," the blonde explained. "You see, each of these facilities was built for survival. They've got lodging and technology that could go way past what we've developed here, plus most of them are underground, providing a greater level of protection on top of all of the other viable benefits. On top of all of that, if we could get into one of these babies without compromising the location, we could possibly take figure out a way to take out the communication mainframe so that the Red Queen can't communicate with her minions anymore."

"Did you practice all of this beforehand? I've never heard you use a word like viable," she joked.

"I thought that maybe utilizing an extended vocabulary would soften the blow of how dangerous and possibly emotionally scarring this venture might be."

"Jesus Christ, did you practice that line too?"

Kara looked at the ground, "Yes."

"Wow... Ok... So how dangerous and potentially life threatening is this?"

The blonde's face was grim. "Full team survival is at almost zero percent, it goes up for the more skilled members of the crew and yours is better than anyone else's simply due to the fact that you are priority."

"Priority?"

"Based on utility, you would be protected at all costs," it even tasted bad coming out of her mouth.

The very idea that her life could be spared due to the loss of another based on 'utility' nearly made her nauseous.

"What happens if we don't go? Can we possibly win the war if we hold out here?"

Kara's face sagged even more as she moved back to the computer, hit a few keys and displayed another screen to her charge. It was a chart trending on a downward slope.

"Based on this other little piece of data I wasn't supposed to see, we can make it maybe six more months before they've overpowered us completely," she pointed at a spike on the screen. "you can see here our rate of survival peaked around the time Alice returned, but it looks like the number crunchers have gathered that even she isn't enough to save us all. The survival of the entire human race depends on us seeking new shelter. As far as I can tell, the best place for us to do that is one of the underground hives."

It was amazing to Rain that one simple line could be so jarring. It was nothing more than pixels on a computer display and yet it foretold the mass extinction of the entire human race.

"Fuck," she breathed. "We don't have any choice, do we?"

"Not the way I see it," the answer was deliberate and unwavering. "But it's up to you. If no one has asked you about this so far, it probably means that the thought hasn't occurred to them. Doesn't mean it won't, but for now, you and I are the only ones that know about this possible solution."

The clone nodded and was quiet for a brief moment before speaking again, "What's our next step?"

"Rain, you really need to think about this before giving me the go-ahead. There is no guarantee that it'll work. We could all die on this mission, should they even let us go. It's a big risk."

She started her reply with a soft chuckle, "Breathing is a big risk at this point. And from what that chart shows, the more time we waste the more resources we lose here. We're declining in numbers, not gaining. It doesn't make sense to let them weed even more of us out without moving on this chance."

"Then we call a meeting with the leadership and see what they have to say."

Rain continued to stare and that thin red line and finally nodded her head, "Alright," she looked over at Thrace. "Let's do it."

* * *

Claire sat singularly in the 'conference room' and thumbed a pencil as she awaited the arrival of the rest of the Agents. It always happened this way. She had no idea why she continued to show up on time. Everyone was always late. So much so, that she was actually pretty shocked to hear the door click and turned to see who might have actually decided to respect other people's schedules.

Her face fell as soon as she saw the altered, but unmistakable features of Jill Valentine.

"Great," she exhaled as she turned her attention back to her pencil.

"Hello Claire," Jill tried softly as she took a seat close, but not too close the room's unhappy occupant.

"You know, we don't have to do the thing," the redhead shook her head as she directed her line of sight to the other woman.

"What thing?" Jill asked.

"The thing where we try to act as if being cordial is an actual possibility between the two of us. I hate you; you should be afraid of me. We may have to remain civil in front of the others, but we don't have to pretend around each other."

"Oh," the brunette nodded in understanding. "That thing. That's good; I'm actually not much for pretending either. I prefer being honest."

"Good, then we're on the same page."

"Not quite. See, if we're being totally honest here, you need to understand that I am certainly not afraid of you. I feel horrible for what has happened in the past, I want very much to put you at ease, and I'd even like to possibly see if I could make it up to you one day. But I am under no circumstances afraid."

Claire's eyes shot daggers, and just as she was about to verbally lay into her enemy the door clicked open again and the green orbs moved toward it instead.

"What are you doing here?" Both Agents voices inquired in unison as Rain and Kara walked through the door together.

The new arrivals looked at each other as if they were both in trouble as well as in awe that Redfield and Valentine could possibly be alone together in a room without killing each other.

"We're here for the meeting," the blonde explained.

"This is an Agent meeting," The senior officer explained.

"I'm aware of that," Thrace smiled. "We called it."

"What do you mean 'we'?" Jill started to pipe in. "What's going on, Rain?"

"Um," she leaned in to whisper to Kara. "Something tells me this may not be as well received as we'd previously anticipated."

"Hello Ladies," Alice said as she ambled over to her at the head of the table. "Please take a seat."

"What's this all about, Alice?" Claire asked.

"It's a meeting, Claire. The entire point of which is to discuss what this is all about, but normally all invited parties are present before such discussion begins."

The agent sat back down sharply and rolled her eyes. Before long, the rest of the senior crew had arrived: Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong and, of course, Albert Wesker who took his seat at the end of the table opposite of Alice. Once he was seated she rose to address the group.

"Good Afternoon, everyone," she started, her tone relaxed but commanding as always. "I've called this meeting after speaking with Operative Thrace and Recruit Ocampo about a possible upcoming mission that could be very important to the survival of the human race. As you all are well aware, our numbers are slowly dwindling. We lose more people every day and refugee influx is almost non-existent. Operative Thrace has found a way to both strengthen security, as well as strike a major blow to the Umbrella threat. Operative Thrace, you have the floor."

Kara took a deep breath as she stood to speak. She still didn't understand what conceivable purpose stage fright could have been to the scientists that constructed her, but she was certainly afflicted by it.

"Um, hello," she stumbled. "As she pointed out, we all know how dire the situation is. If we don't do something soon, we're all going to end up dead. Uh, it occurred to me that there are a lot of Umbrella facilities still out there and that most of them are probably still functional. So, I did some digging in the archives..."

"And how did you gain access to those?" Claire cut her off.

"I did some naughty and un-approved digging in the archives," she corrected herself, looking directly at her inquisitor with a Cheshire grin, "and I found out I was right. Around the globe there are hundreds of sub-terranian facilities still up and running. Some of which we could take down and use for our own protection and productivity."

"And where does Rain come in to this?" Jill was starting to share Claire's annoyance.

"Let's try to hold all questions to the end, please," Wesker ordered calmly.

"Yeah, before the guns start getting drawn," Leon grumbled to Chris. "What's wrong with these chicks?"

"Estrogen," he answered.

"Actually it's fine, I can cut right to the chase," Kara answered as she looked back to Jill; somewhat worried about the possibility of Kennedy being correct. "We've known about the facilities for a long time now and we've never tried to breech any of them because it would have been too risky. Until now."

She swallowed hard and looked to Rain, who stood to take her part.

"Because these facilities need to be run by someone, they've been using clones to keep everything up. You guys have never had a clone with the physical clearance to get inside until I showed up. Model Seventeen," even as she said it she could see the words cut through Jill like a knife, "was one of the most efficient according to Umbrella records. Their main function, for the most part, was security. They have clearance to a lot of these hives... and so do I."

"No way!" Jill stood and slammed her hands on the table, looking straight at the clone. "She's nowhere near ready to go into the field and even if she were this mission is far too risky. I won't allow it."

Rain's face scrunched in anger, "You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do!"

"Thrace isn't going either," Claire broke in, completely cutting off the clone's protest. "Not if I have anything to say about it. She doesn't hold enough respect among the recruits to lead something like this. They'll turn on her in a heartbeat."

"Excuse me, honey," Kara stated as patronizing as possible. "But I don't need your permission to lead this mission; I've already gotten it from the higher-ups around here. You know, the ones who actually get to call the shots because they're not drinking away their bad memories."

It was a low blow and a bad move, but she didn't have time to take the words back because before she knew it, both arguing parties were yelling at each other in unison. Leon put his feet up to take in the show as both Ada and Chris put their heads in their hands waiting for the lambs to stop screaming.

The sound of a side arm being fired in the air stopped all bickering with a resounding boom as they all looked to its source and focused on the sunglasses of Albert Wesker.

"If everyone will please take a seat, we can continue this meeting," his tone was calm, slow and sadistic. "And should anyone choose to interrupt _me _they will find the next bullet fired lodged somewhere in one of their limbs."

As everyone returned to their seats and bit their tongues, Alice allowed her blood to boil and fantasized about the day she'd finally be able to send that bastard to his grave.

"Now, Operative Thrace will be leading this mission because it is substantially dangerous we will not take the chance of risking any Agents in the field. And since she has so graciously volunteered to lead a crew into the hive, I think it only polite to take her up on the offer. Especially given that it was she who discovered the opportunity in the first place."

He started to pace around the room. Hands clasped in front of him over the loaded gun.

"Recruit Ocampo has shown excellent progress in the few weeks that she has been training under the tutelage of both Operative Thrace and Agent Valentine and I believe that of all the new additions she is certainly an apt enough soldier to bring into battle. Past that, her safety will be first priority given the future possibilities she presents as we continue to try to take over the facilities and establish a new network of strongholds."

He stopped to stand at the backs of the very people he was talking about and addressed both Jill and Claire.

"And in case you didn't hear them over your own protests, if we do not adapt to the situation we will all be dead; the foundlings included. It's not a question of if, but when. So if your simple and pathetic goal is simply to protect them, you're honestly getting in your own way."

And, just like his speech patterns, he moved slowly and deliberately back to his seat.

"I'm finished," he announced, holstering his gun.

Silence lasted for a couple seconds more before the screaming started again from both sides of the table.

"Rain, you don't have any business on the battlefield!"

"You don't own me!"

"Thrace, I should kick your ass right now for jail breaking the goddamn system!"

"Oh, why don't you just go back to the bar; you know, where everybody knows your name!"

"That's enough!"

Alice's voice broke through the yelling just as effectively as the gunshot and everyone sat back down.

"One more word out of you two," she looked toward the offending Agents. "And I'll throw you both in the brig so long you won't even have the option to see them if they come back from the hive."

Thrace let out a small chuckle which drew the leader's attention back to the junior members in the room.

"And if I ever hear you two disrespecting an Agent like that again I'll make sure the only missions you get to go on involve the latrine and a toothbrush."

She looked around the room surveying the table and started to speak again.

"Now I don't want to lose anyone else in this fight. But losing everyone is not even on the table. Operative Thrace will take a team of her choosing and every single person on that team will fight as hard as they possibly can to protect them because if they don't they'll have me to answer to. I understand some of you aren't happy about this decision."

Leon broke in, "Actually, I think it's just Claire and Jill who are upset."

She rolled her eyes and chose to ignore him, "But this is not a democracy. The decision is mine to make and I say they go."

"Then Claire and I will go with them," Jill demanded. "You can't just keep us here like prisoners."

"Actually, that's exactly what they'll do," Claire looked at her, almost sympathetically. "I've lost count of how many times I've been thrown in the brig for trying to set out on a mission they didn't think I was ready for. Including the one that brought you all back from Russia. They'll stick us in there with nothing left to do but worry and wait."

The brunette's features grew grim as she shared a defeated glance with Claire and then turned her attention back to Alice.

"Tell me that's not how things are going to work with you in charge."

"But she's not in charge," Wesker interrupted. "At least not fully. I still have final say in regards to the safety of our best resources and we won't be losing any to this mission given the risk involved. Especially two Agents making decisions based on emotion. Mistakes become far more possible when passion is involved."

"I swear to God I will kill you before this is all over," Jill raged.

"You'll have to get in line," Claire interjected.

"I believe Alice will try to beat you both to that punch, but it won't be happening now so let's not waste time with idle threats. Operative Thrace, the mission is yours. You'll set out with your team tomorrow and report back once the objective has been accomplished. Meeting adjourned."

Alice spoke as everyone stood to leave, "Claire, Jill, would you mind staying behind so I can speak with you?"

"Yes, I would mind," Jill answered, moving directly toward the door.

"I'm with her," Claire followed suit. "Don't know why I thought anything was actually going to change just because you showed up."

The leader's face fell as she let them go. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Hey, at least now they have something to bond over," Chris joked.

"Go team," Thrace agreed flatly before the rest of them made their exits.

* * *

Anger and worry warred for first dibs on Jill's emotional state as she sought out the one person who was on her side on this position. She found Jill exactly where Thrace had joked that she would be; the White House bar. She took a deep breath and moved toward the seat next to her.

"I know that you hate me and I'm probably the last person you want to speak to right now, but is there any way I could talk to you for a few minutes about what happened in the meeting?"

Claire regarded her with annoyance, but finally pulled out the chair so that she could have a seat; which Jill took with a thankful smile.

"You know better than me our chances of actually sneaking out for this mission; is there a way to do it?"

"I wish," Claire took a sip of her drink. "They've had us tailed ever since we walked out the doors of that stupid meeting. We do anything out of the ordinary and they'll send us straight to the brig. Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't already. Because the two of us speaking to each other is certainly out of the ordinary."

A meager chuckle escaped Jill's lips, "That it is."

Her tone grew more serious, "I know that I may never be able to make you understand how sorry I am for the things I've done but, I assure you, I live with the pain of my actions every day."

Claire shook her head to try to rid it of all the emotions that statement evoked. When it didn't work she simply took a larger sip of whiskey and spoke.

"I tried to kill Alice."

"Today?!" Jill's eyes grew wide with worry.

"No!" the reaction actually caused a small smile of incredulity to grace her features. "No, a long time ago when I had one of those Umbrella bugs on my chest. I know I'm mad at her right now, but I'm not that mad."

"Oh, I see."

"The point is, even though I do still hate you for what you did, my hatred is kind of unjustified and massively hypocritical. If you can deal with that we can still talk, if you can't you're free to leave. Just stop talking about what happened. It makes me feel too many things."

"Deal."

They sat in silence until Claire couldn't stand it anymore.

"So, you've got a thing for Ocampo, huh?"

Anxiety caused her heart to beat faster, "Is it that obvious?"

"Probably to everyone but her. Have you done anything about it?"

"No!" she noticed the volume and defensive nature of her denial and then corrected it. "No, she's just... I shouldn't... It's complicated."

"Understood," Claire nodded her head in sympathy.

"What about you and Operative Thrace? Is that why you protested her involvement so much?"

Claire looked into her glass and let her mind wander to the nature of that subject. She hadn't actually figured it out herself. She knew that she held genuine affection for the young Operative, but in a world where loss seemed so eminent, she'd learned that building up walls for self preservation was almost a prerequisite for survival.

But there definitely was something there. It had started when they first met.

_When Claire was first recruited by Wesker to fight for the resistance she was alone a great deal of the time. She had Chris, but she knew he was growing weary of consoling her over the death of K-Mart. So, she ended up doing a lot of wandering during her initial months at stronghold. It was on one of these walks that she first encountered Kara Thrace. _

_"Hey, leave him the fuck alone!" the blonde shouted at four younger recruits in the gym._

_They'd been picking on one of their peers for his clone status. But once Thrace had initiated dialogue, their attention was fully focused on the ridiculed social leper. Claire watched the scene unfold but did not engage right away. She wanted to see if she could handle it on her own._

_"And what are you gonna do about it, Thrace? You may be a dirty clone, but you can't take on all of us."_

_"Maybe, but the odds are better two against four," she fired back._

_The leader of the pack simply chuckled and gestured to the boy he'd previously been beating, "You think he's actually going to fight at your side? You're the reason he's getting this beatdown in the first place. Little Simon used to hang with us till we all got tested and found out he was nothing more than a Petri dish pussy."_

_Kara looked nervously toward the boy and then back to her aggressors, "I guess we'll see."_

_And then, sure enough, as Claire looked on the boy stayed back while the crowd descended upon the lone hero and started to pulverize her. Kara wasn't as seasoned a fighter back then and with no one backing her play, she didn't stand a chance against four large boys. The redhead locked eyes briefly with the other clone in the room. His attention was on the fight, but she couldn't place the emotion painted on his face. Some of it seemed sad but it was overshadowed by fear and anger. The girl's grunts of pain pulled her from her thoughts and she quickly stepped in to intervene. _

_She thought about yelling at the boys, given her Agent status they probably would have backed off right away; but she also felt like a fight. So she started by grabbing two of them by their shirts and pulling them away before landing an array of kicks and punches to the remaining two until all fighting had ceased and she stood over the girl, a stalwart protector._

_"Every single one of you is going to be on garbage detail for a solid month," she growled. "And if I ever catch you so much as look at either of these two the wrong way again I'll send you all to the infirmary. You got it?"_

_Though they stood panting in rage, they all conceded with a 'Yes Ma'am' and scuttled off._

_She knelt down to survey a bloody nose and mouth. In just a few seconds, they'd managed to beat the girl far worse than they had their former comrade._

_"Are you ok?" she gently lifted a bruised chin as she inspected her injuries._

_"Yeah, I'll live," she nodded, gratefully._

_"They were right, you know." _

_The beaten boy moved forward and finally displayed some semblance of courage._

_Claire looked up, her jaw tight with anger, "About what?"_

_"About her," he spoke through gritted teeth. "They were my friends, until she went and fucked everything up for everyone. And you can put me on garbage duty too if you want because as far as I'm concerned she got what she deserved."_

_"Fine! If you think like your friends so much, you can spend the next thirty days at their side while they toss insults at you like so many rotten tomatoes, you self loathing little prick. Now get the hell out of my sight."_

_As he left she looked down to notice the girl trying to quickly wipe away the evidence of a tear before it was noticed. Claire's heart tightened with sadness._

_"This place is going to be the janitorial Mecca of the world if you keep staffing it with people who hate me," she said with a forced laugh as she stood, grabbing her stomach in pain._

_"Whoa, let's move you over to the bench and get you cleaned up a little before we flee the scene, ok?"_

_"You don't have to help me; I can take it from here."_

"_Yeah, you having an overblown ego and trying to fix things by yourself really worked out for you in the last instance you tried it," she wrapped an arm around the girl and led her to the bench. "Now sit down and let me round up a wet towel."_

_She was met with a humble 'thank you' upon her return and followed up with a solemn 'you're welcome'._

_"You're Claire Redfield, aren't you?" she asked as her face was gently cleaned._

_"Yeah, how'd you know?"_

_"You're legendary around here. Everyone knows about the convoy you put together; how you tried to save all those people and fought Umbrella with Project Alice."_

_"Yeah," she let out sarcastic chuckle. "And then I got them all killed. You could certainly call me a legendary failure."_

_"Ah, so you're one of those self loathing hero types. You should drop that shit before anyone finds out. You'll never get you laid."_

_This time they both let out a real giggle._

_"I'd wager you're speaking from experience, on that kind of heroism. I didn't see you standing up for yourself when that little twerp you tried to save was demeaning you."_

_"I'm not a hero... But I want to be. I only hope I can survive my fellow soldiers long enough to get there."_

_Sadness washed over Claire immediately. Partially because it was obvious that the girl had given up on ever not being hated by the people she was trying to save, and partially because she still had hopes of saving them. She was strong and admirable. And, for the first time since the Arcadia, Claire felt a timid warmth rise within her heart._

_"Then you're going to have to learn to fight," she stated forcefully. Kara Thrace didn't want pity and she didn't need it. What she needed was leadership. "You're going to have to train harder and faster than all of the people who want to take you down. But most of all you're going to have to believe in yourself. You're going to have to believe you can do it and that you're worth it. False bravado got you nowhere today. The next time you step into a fight you need to be strong, confident and ready."_

_A sort of light infected the young blonde's eyes and she nodded in response. "I can see why so many people believe in you, Claire. You've got that cool, fearless leader thing going for you."_

_"It's Agent Redfield; we don't get to be friends until you move up in the ranks. But you work hard enough and one day I'll let you call me Claire."_

_"I guess I'd better get started then."_

_And with that, and a small but hopeful smile, the two loners had become unofficial friends._

When Claire finally came back to the present moment she mirrored the words previously spoken by the woman sitting next to her, "It's complicated."

Jill smiled, "Well perhaps that's where we can start to learn from each other. And maybe, one day, things won't be complicated for either of us."

She knew the lonely Agent was gently trying to make a step forward in the healing process of their dynamic. And something about her social status reminded Claire so much of the woman she feared losing. So with a quirky grin she finally let down one of her walls and allowed it to happen.

"It's a start."

* * *

When Rain entered her room it was so dark she assumed that Jill had not yet come home for the night. Which is why she was startled and let out a gasp once she turned on the light and noticed her sitting silently on her bed, staring at the tips of her shoes?

"Jesus, Jill, you trying to save on the electric bill or give me a heart attack before I even have a chance to go out on this mission?"

Her answer started with a glare from the other woman. Jill responded with a darkly even keeled voice "You really think this is the time for sophomoric jokes?"

"It's better than brooding and pretending that we hate each other," she threw up her hands in frustration. "Come on, Jill, you basically called me an incompetent little infant in there today, and that hurt, but I don't want to spend the last night we have before this mission pissed off and angry at each other."

She saw a subtle crack in the armor, but Jill still wouldn't meet her eyes. She decided to press on; even moving into enemy territory to sit on the bed next to her and then she remembered something.

"I still owe you a backrub," she softly put a hand on one of the woman's crossed arms and tried to pull it free. "C'mon, at least let me do that."

"Don't touch me," was the icy response.

Rain pulled her hand away as if it had been burned which finally caused Jill to flinch as she briefly met the girl's eyes and witnessed the pain apparent in them. The clone contemplated dropping it, but her defiant nature wouldn't allow it.

"Alright, have it your way. But I'm not moving from this spot until either the sun comes up or you let me pay off my debt. And believe me, I have the capacity to sit here and talk obnoxiously all night. So, you can sit there and brood while I get absolutely no rest the night before a very important mission, or you can quit acting like a toddler, accept something you know you want and let me get the sleep I need."

"Fine!"

And with that outburst the furious Agent moved into an upright position, turned over and fell face down on the bed. She didn't even bother to remove her shirt.

"Just get it over with," she ordered callously.

It was possible that this hostile agreegence hurt her more than all of the painful things that had transpired in that day. She could feel her eyes misting with tears which she vehemently fought back before moving her hands up to the stiff shoulders in front of her.

"Why does it matter if you do this or not, huh? It's not like you've done what I wanted any other time today!"

Rain was quiet for a moment as she continued to struggle with the sadness that was overtaking her. And after she thought for a moment about her response, she decided to simply answer truthfully.

"Because..." she faltered at first, but forced herself to regain composure. "Because when I do this I think it makes you feel good. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and when I start to touch them I can tell. But the more I work on it, the tension goes away. You loosen up and your breathing gets softer."

Jill was dying inside as the soft, yet strong hands worked to ease her pain and, ironically, caused her infinite amounts more. She didn't want to be angry with Rain right now, but she didn't want to lose her either. She was at a complete standstill and it was tearing her apart inside. Still, the girl continued.

"It makes me feel like I'm taking care of you, in a way. Like this is something nice that I can give to you," she couldn't help the stagger in her voice or the tear that escaped her eye. "I know you think I won't be able to hack it tomorrow, but I do. And while I'm gone I want you to think of this moment, not the rest of the day with us fighting and saying horrible things to each other."

It was then that Jill lost her battle with the tears that had been raging to rip free from her face. She tried to scrunch them back, but it was a lost cause; especially as Rain continued.

"And if I don't make it back I want to go out knowing that even if you're pissed off to the ends of the Earth with me, I still did this last thing to make you feel good. To show you that I care. That's why doing this matters to me."

Jill made no sudden movements when she halted the girl's hand on her shoulder and slowly sat up to take the position beside her. Both women looked upon each other's tearstained eyes with understanding. Unable to control herself, the Agent brought a hand up to wipe away the clone's tears with a caress. And, for the first time, she allowed it to linger and stroke the girl's face.

"You are, quite literally, the most amazing person I've ever met, Rain."

For a statement of such monumental implications, it was said as simply as if Jill were reciting a universal truth. Like 1 + 1= 2, or 'the Earth revolves around the Sun'.

"You are not only a good soldier, you're a great one," she continued. "You've learned far faster than I could have ever imagined. You fight with both intelligence and heart, and I do believe that of all the recruits we have on our docket, you are one of the best equipped to take on this mission. But there are absolutely no guarantees in this world, and I know there is a chance that you won't come back, no matter how amazing you are."

Rain's eyes strained and her jaw tightened as she listened to the words, but she held her own back as she waited for her friend to finish.

"I don't want you to go because I'm selfish," Jill explained with a sad half-smile. "I have done so many horrendous things in my life that I'm lucky anyone can stand to be near me, let alone want to make me feel good... and cared for. To have all of that wrapped up in such a beautiful package; I'd be insane to let you go without a fight... and without doing this."

As green eyes trekked down to soft lips, Rain knew exactly what was about to happen and she welcomed it fully. The small space between them was crossed by both parties at an achingly slow speed that was forgotten as soon as skin touched skin.

She'd somehow been implanted with the memory of kisses being described in literature as 'electric' and 'explosive'. All of it having to do with some kind of jolting spark that seemed like it would make your hair stand on end. This was nothing like that.

It was soft and warm... All encompassing. The world hadn't exploded around them. It contracted and enveloped them.

Jill's lips were gentle yet commanding. People don't think about how powerful lips can be. Words made by lips had empowered nations. Decreed deaths. Raised, and killed, hopes.

But every subtle, yet intentional, movement from Jill's lips was a declaration of both fear and adoration. It wasn't falsely sexy, like so many kisses are. It was forcefully honest. It was real. It was angry and complacent and beautiful and tragic. It was everything.

In a world where nothing was static, nothing was reliable; it was a port in the ever raging storm. And for Rain it was magic.

For Jill, it was the most exciting and terrifying thing she'd ever done. And when she pulled away from the welcoming softness of the other woman, she feared she'd just lost the greatest hope she'd ever had because of an impulsive gesture that gave her both something to live for and one more reason to die should she never experience it again.

Their eyes breifly remained locked once the event was over, but it was Jill who first broke away. After all, she was the one with the most to lose, "Anyways..."

"No," Rain pulled her head back to reconnect the gaze. "No, don't you dare pull away right now and act like this didn't happen or it didn't matter because you're scared it was all one sided. Look at me and ask me how I feel."

It's amazing how the human mind works. How we can get so caught up in protecting ourselves from disappointment that our eyes become myopic to a sure thing staring us right in the face. It was for this reason Jill Valentine struggled so hard to finally spit out the words that she'd been commanded to speak.

"How do you feel?"

And in return she watched as the other woman moved in swiftly to initiate a kiss of her own making. Rain's kiss was more passionate from the offset and it was met with a moan of relief from Jill. The ardent entanglement was juxtaposed with the soft caress of the clone's hand on her face. And as she slowed her pace and finally moved away, she looked back at wondering eyes with all the trust and affection she could muster.

"I feel like I could do that with you for days. Like I've found something that I didn't even know I was supposed to be looking for."

She paused for a brief moment before breaking the heaviness of the situation. "And gay. I feel very gay right now."

As Jill finally let out a laugh, Rain smiled and moved in for a hug that was returned with great affection.

Taking advantage of the confidence she felt at that moment Jill asked, "Will you sleep with me tonight?"

Rain's body stiffened a bit, "Um, I think that may be moving things a little fast considering I've never actually done this before."

"Beside!" Jill pulled back and corrected herself immediately after she'd realized both how her request was taken, and the nearly unbelievable virginal status of the recipient. "Will you sleep BESIDE me tonight? Like we did on the helicopter. But in a bed. With absolutely no 'moving too fast' sex happening at all."

Once she'd started to understand the question, Rain broke into a brief fit of laughter which made Jill even ramblier.

"Or you could just sleep in your own bed. Away from me. Because I've obviously made things so completely awkward that even I wouldn't want to sleep with me...BESIDE me. Jesus, I'm not talking anymore."

Rain simply shook her head and continued to giggle as she stripped down to her t-shirt and underwear and told Jill to get ready for bed.

It was somewhat strange as they climbed in together and tried to settle in. They lay facing each other, but not yet touching. Just staring at what they could see from the soft glow of the moonlight.

It was Jill who finally broke the silence.

"Please be careful out there. Make sure to watch your corners and don't underestimate anything that moves."

"It's going to be fine. I know what I'm doing."

"I know, it's just... I need you to be ok."

It was like a surrender. A complete relinquishment of walls and ego. And Rain moved in as if her very body could take the place of the discarded armor.

"I know," she put one arm around Jill's waist to pull her closer and one hand to stroke her face as she kissed her softly before continuing. "That's one more reason for me to fight as hard as I can to come back. But I'm here right now. So stop worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow and focus on what's going on tonight."

And with that Jill wrapped her arms tightly around the body in front of her and brought their lips together for what would be the first hour of a long and languish kiss that would end up lasting until the wee small hours of the morning.

Earlier Rain had threatened to keep them both awake with nothing but the power of her mouth. But neither of them had dreamed she'd make good on that threat in this manner.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep...

The alarm clock sounded off sooner than either of the women in bed could ever have wanted. Its annoying cry was silenced by an unhappy hand that quickly retreated back to the bed that held far better places to roam.

"That was nowhere near long enough," Rain protested and turned to stoke the face of the woman lying beside her. "Good morning."

"Bad morning," Jill stated flatly.

The clone's eyes rolled.

"You're gonna watch the whole thing from the com-station aren't you?"

"Yep," Jill moved from the bed to start a shower.

Confusion painted Rain's face as she followed her into the bathroom, "Wait a minute. Did I miss something? Because I could've sworn last night you said a plethora of nice things to me right before sucking my face for hours on end. How did we go from that to you being all fucking grumpy again?"

"Grumpy is for children," she answered soberly; grabbing a towel as the water heated up. "I'm worried and unhappy with your choices. Just because we're... kissing each other now, doesn't mean I'm thrilled at the fact that you might end the day with your head detached from your body."

Rain threw her hands up in the air in frustration as Jill quickly disrobed and hopped in the shower. The clone would have been lying through her teeth if she said she didn't totally drag her eyes down the muscular, yet feminine frame and take in a deep, lustful breath. The sharp sound of the shower curtain closing brought her back to the conversation at hand.

"And this is your strategy? To be a total bitch to me right before I leave?"

"I'm not being a bitch," the reply followed the steam escaping the bath. "I'm cleaning myself and wishing to do so in privacy at this point."

"Well, too bad because I want to talk and I need to wash up next."

"Fine, I'm almost done anyway."

"Are you going to be this pissy when I get back too? Because if you are, this whole 'us kissing thing' is going to be shelved really fast."

The water shut off and a wet hand popped out from the shower curtain and snagged the towel, "No, odds are I'll be so glad that you survived I'll forget about how reckless you are."

As she stepped out, dripping with the towel wrapped around her, Rain couldn't help the boldfaced stare she was executing. There was no doubt about it; Jill looked good wet. Arguing was the last thing she wanted to do with her at the moment.

"Then why don't we just skip over all the bullshit sulking?" She moved in to try for a kiss but was stopped by a hand on her chest.

"Because I think we both know this isn't going to be the last time you volunteer to put your life on the line in defiance of everything I say. And if you think there aren't going to be any consequences to that, you're sadly mistaken."

"Alright," Rain said, moving her body back just enough to remove her shirt. "Have it your way."

She knew exactly what she was doing as she slowly slinked off her underwear and sauntered into the shower. Once within the privacy of the curtain she smiled devilishly as a low growl could be heard exiting the room.

Once she'd finished a somewhat taciturn shower she wrapped a towel around herself and exited the bathroom to put on her tactical clothing. Before she had a chance to cross the room to her foot locker, she found herself pressed against the wall by a decidedly amorous Agent. The kiss Jill placed upon her lips this time was hard, passionate and tinged with frustration. Lips, teeth and tongue worked in concert to express a myriad of emotions that had no business being restricted to unfortunate time frame in which they were imprisoned.

By the time she pulled away, both women were breathing hard and looking desperately into each other's eyes. After a few tense seconds, the agent finally spoke.

"I am nowhere near close to 'having my way' in regards to you yet. You go out there, you finish this mission, and you come back to me."

"I will."

Both statements were filled with determination and severity. Jill's eyes softened after the reassurance as did her lips as she moved in slowly one last time and closed the conversation with a loving caress.

With a conceding 'Ok' she left the room to tackle her duties for the day; leaving the clone with a spinning head and a soaring heart. Umbrella had not yet imagined a monster that was going to be able to keep Rain from making good on her promise.

* * *

Operative Kara Thrace scanned the empty briefing room and took in a deep breath. It was her first time heading up any kind of mission of this caliber and she wanted to experience every single moment in its entirety. Should she actually survive the events that would follow, she would remember this day forever.

The room was cold and sterile looking. Chairs were set up classroom style with small swivel writing props attached to them. Soon she would be addressing the team she had handpicked to carry out her orders.

There were plenty of thoughts regarding the future that persistently tried to enter her head; her success leading to agent status, all of the benefits of operating out of the hive, a possible end to her social extrication... But she mentally batted them away like flies. She would never be here again.

The first person to arrive on the scene was Rain. She'd expected her to be early given the importance of the role she played, but there was a look of anxiety on her face that seemed somewhat over-the-top.

"You doin' ok, Killer?" Thrace asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" the response was rushed negating its intent.

"Because you're about to walk into one of the deadliest scenarios created by man. I'd expect you to be nervous, but not this nervous. Are you sweating?" she leaned in further to investigate.

"Knock it off, I just showered. I'm fine."

"Ok," the operative put her hands up and moved to the podium to prepare her notes.

Rain allowed the silence for a few seconds before the weight of it became too much.

"Alright, alright, I kissed Jill!" she said, marching up to the podium.

"You did what?"

Thrace was genuinely stunned. She knew that there was definitely some chemistry working between the two women, but yesterday they had all but spat at each other. She didn't see them actually kissing and making up for quite a while.

"Or she kissed me, but then I kissed her," Rain paced with her hands moving in all directions. "And we said things... Like really nice and sweet things, but she's still mad at me and being somewhat controlling. And I think that I'm gay, and I think this may be a bad idea, given our past and the fact that she's one of my best friends. Then there's..."

Kara cut her off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We are about to embark on a mission that will go down in the history books, should they ever start writing them again, and this what's going on in your head? Kissing?!"

"I just assumed it was my brain subconsciously trying to get my mind off impending doom by worrying about something a little less world changing. Don't worry. I know the stakes. Possible extinction of the human race, all that stuff... I'm aware of the importance of today."

The blonde observed her for a moment, waiting for the flow of words to continue but they didn't.

"You're still thinking about kissing aren't you?"

"Yes."

More recruits started to enter the room, signaling that the conversation needed to end.

"Ok, I'm overjoyed you've decided to complicate your life in this very special way. And once this is all over we can braid each other's hair and talk about it," she leaned in and whispered to the clone. "But for the next few hours Jill Valentines lips better be so far from your mind that deep space telescopes wouldn't be able to locate them. I'm talking galaxies far, far away. You got me?"

"I got it," she nodded sternly. "Light years away. Don't worry. I promise now all I'm thinking about is not dying."

"Good, now take your seat before they start calling you a teacher's pet."

The seconds seemed to zoom by for both clones heading up the mission. Though, to be honest, the directions were pretty straight forward: don't get dead.

The team consisted of two tech specialists, four tactical operatives, one bioweapons specialist and the team leads.

Though they did have a barebones layout for the structure, there wasn't much past that in the way of mapping intelligence. Once they were able to hack into the security system they would be able to track life form movement, but beforehand all they would have is heat signature readouts, which weren't always reliable.

Everyone would need to be at the top of their game to make it through to the mainframe. From there they would be able to control more of their environment and basically start cleaning out the corpses. Before that, it was keeping tight corners and leaving no booby trapped stone unturned.

"Ok, so everybody knows their job and we all understand the importance of stealth," Thrace spoke as she paced the floor. "I want you to take a good look around you; look at each and every face."

She paused to reiterate the importance of her request as the crew did as they were told.

"This is a very dangerous mission and some of the faces you see may very well belong to a corpse in the next few hours," she swallowed hard, knowing she was talking to herself as much as anyone else. "Understand this; if we fail in this mission every single face will fall to the will of Umbrella in the coming days. This is our last chance."

The weight of the statement sank in and they all steeled themselves.

"But if we succeed, this will be the first step in the architecture of the future of the human race… And we will succeed. If I have to draw my last breath taking out every single monster in that building I will do so. And so will all of you. This victory isn't just about us, but all of us. All the living breathing people left in the world are depending on us to be victorious today. So, walk proud. You'll earn that stride soon enough."

The room erupted in cries of determination and hope. Goosebumps arose on Thrace's body and as they all began their departure Rain walked up to her side.

"Best speech I've heard in the few months I've been alive," she remarked with a clip to the arm. "How long did you practice it?"

"Longer than I planned out the mission," Thrace conceded.

"Good, now that the hard part's over with, let's go kick some ass."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," the blonde smiled.

* * *

It wasn't a mansion this time, but a mall; owned by Umbrella. Though they'd assumed that security would be tight around the structure, they were surprised to find it incredibly lax. The Red Queen was obviously overly confident about the improbability of any kind of offensive attack. It was surreal for the entire team involved. Seeing shops and vending machines, completely intact and operating as if the world were still the same. As if this all were some big nightmare that had just ended.

"Keep it tight, people," Operative Thrace instructed. "I know initial sweeps showed no security or physical threat, but do not let your guard down."

She need not fear. Everyone was on high alert and keeping both eyes open for whatever may come.

They made their way to the service elevator and hacked the system that would lead them down to the train. Once aboard everyone was silent as the vehicle barreled toward the underground hive. Every option for stealth had been seen to. As far as the Red Queen knew the train was completely still in the docking bay. Unused for years. They would stop just shy of the receiving platform and then Rain would take on her hardest role.

She gulped at the thought and the action did not go unnoticed by Thrace.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," she exhaled hard. "It's just that whole 'fate of the entire human race resting on my shoulders' thing giving me a little trepidation."

"It couldn't be in better hands," Thrace admitted sincerely. "You can do this."

The brunette looked at her endearingly, "No matter what happens down here... Fight as hard as you can Kara. You're the brave one. You're the one who's going to make a difference."

"We're both going to make a difference. Don't play the fucking martyr before you've even died. You're a bad ass. Act like one."

The train stopped just shy of the platform and with a determined nod, Rain stepped off and walked purposefully toward the inception area of the DC hive. Shouldering her assault rifle, she stood in front of the identification pad, placed her thumb in the reader positioned her eye within view of the retinal scan. As the machine screeched and beeped, she said an internal prayer that it would work and a bullet wouldn't come rushing at her through the scan upon failure.

The hiss from the pressurized door caused her to jump and she let out an involuntary curse.

"Get it together," she shook her head and tried hard to reinforce the facade she'd need for the next step of her mission.

As she walked through the doors, she was greeted by the sight of three security guards; clones she assumed. Especially given that the one in the middle station looked exactly like her. And that's the one she'd have to take out.

Her mirror image looked up from her monitor, "I didn't know anyone was supposed to be out right now."

"I decided I needed a little action," she responded before pressing the field disruptor and taking out the camera signal.

Two bullets criss-crossed behind her and struck the guards to either side of her in the heads; killing them instantly. Rain broke out into a full on run; jumping over the security desk and tackling the clone in front of her. They both fell to the floor and fists started swinging. Resistance Rain obviously had the advantage over Umbrella Rain given the element of surprise, but it wouldn't last long if she didn't take advantage of it. With one swift motion she grabbed the other woman's head and slammed the back of it hard into the ground. She stood only when she was satisfied her foe was unconscious.

"We're clear," she informed Thrace who instructed the rest of the team to enter the room.

"Ok, people, I want that camera signal back up in one minute and looped for an hour before we arrived. Muscles," she referred to the tactical members of the team. "Get these bodies hidden outside in case anybody comes in while we're out exploring the rest of the hive. Take their walkies so we can deal with any chatter."

As she moved toward the two Rains she noticed something amiss; there were no bullet holes in the target clone. Kneeling down, Thrace put her fingers to a beating pulse.

"This one's still alive, Rain," she stood and pointed her silenced side arm at the guard. "You need to be more careful before you just state a room is clear."

"Whoa, wait, she's out. We could tie her up and put a muzzle on her and question her after all this is done."

"I knew this was gonna fucking happen," Thrace shook her head.

"Kara please, we don't have to kill every clone we come across," she pleaded.

"What did I tell you before we left, Rain? I said 100% clean during infiltration. Clean means dead. No survivors. No chances for us to get popped when we're not looking. You agreed to all of this before we left."

"Well, I had my fingers crossed," she fought back and saw the rage begin to build within her friend. "Look, I'm not asking to save all of them. Obviously that's not going to happen... but can we please just try a little bit with the ones we can take out non-lethally? We can learn more about Umbrella and if they don't co-operate after that then you can shoot them all you want, but please... That girl isn't going to be awake for hours and she won't be able to move once she is."

Thrace clenched her jaw. Part of her wanted to put a bullet through the unconscious woman's head just to prove a point to Rain. But there was some merit to suggestion and she knew she'd probably never forgive her if she just took that singular action. She opted for more of a middle ground approach.

"You get this one," she held up one finger and moved in closer; her tone deadly. "I don't care if every other clone in this entire place calls me queen, swears fealty and kisses my boot, if I want to shoot them they will be shot. Is that perfectly clear to you?"

"Yes sir," the clone nodded.

"Yes, like it was clear before or yes like you understand I will cut off your thumb and pop out your eye if you compromise this mission?"

Rain gulped, "The second one."

The blonde bored into her eyes for another thirty seconds then broke away to the rest of her duties. "Restrain her, black bag her, sedate her and do all of it quickly."

Rain breathed a gracious 'thank you' and did as she was told.

"What are we looking at, Jones?"

"No detection so far, it seems, and the feed is flowing fine," the young security tech answered, his dark features darting between monitors. "Monitors for the rest of the hive will go into play mode as soon as tactical analysis is finished."

"Tactical?"

"The least invasive route to the mainframe looks to be a five room process. Once we enter the facility through the main door we'll need to make it all the way to the end of the hallway without detection and into the gymnasium area. After that it's on to chemical research labs followed by the maintenance room. After that we can use the ventilation shafts to drop in to the vault."

"Uh-huh, and what stands between us and there, Bio?"

"The first juncture shows heat signatures for at least four bio-weapons; Lickers most likely. This is good because their communication skills are nearly non-existent and they won't be reporting our presence to anyone else in the facility. The bad news is they are one of the most deadly bio-weapons in Umbrella's arsenal. That's why they're right up front. We'll need to move quickly to get through this one, which won't be easy given that door access requires both physical ID as well as a pass code.

The gym is pretty cut and dry. Handful of unarmed clones needing some bullets in their brains. The labs may actually be the easiest leg of the journey if we can avoid detection. I know that's a big if, but being a science geek, I know how lost we can get in our work. Keep things quiet and quick and we should be able to squeak by unnoticed.

Maintenance is a different story. It's crawling with what look to be level one infected; lots of them. They'll need to be dispatched before we can make a clear path to the ventilation system. Once inside the mainframe housing we're home free. The guards are on the outside of the door and shouldn't have any reason to peek inside."

"Great, sounds like a walk in the park," Rain joked as she joined the group. "With monsters and bad guys and death."

"Gird your loins, ladies," Thrace warned, standing to full height. "We're going in."

* * *

"I knew your girl would pull that hippie bullshit when it came to saving the clones," Claire shook her head as she chewed on a straw and examined the monitor.

"Yeah, well I knew your girl would cave once Rain flashed those stupidly charismatic eyes," Jill responded, arms crossed and body tight.

"This next part isn't gonna be pretty," the redhead exhaled. "If Thrace is half as smart as I think she is she'll have them go in guns a blazing while Rain and a tech work on that door. No point in keeping quiet in there."

"Cut the chatter," Alice chastised. "They're going in."

Every Agent's eye was glued to the panels of monitors, waiting with bated breath to see if the infiltration team would make it. They could only see the first person perspective of each team member so the scene was incredibly segmented, but the sense of fear was present in every angle.

Claire's estimation of Operative Thrace proved to be accurate as each member of the team charged the chamber with guns firing at will. Assisted by a tech engineer, Rain hustled to the door and guarded him as he worked the keypad. Once cleared she would be able to grant access with a thumb and retinal scan.

"How long, man?" her voice, shaky, could be heard through the com unit.

"At least one minute," Jones answered. "Keep 'em off me for that long and we should be good to go."

"Got it."

The rest of the team was running though the halls much like kids in candy stores. It wasn't till Brent, one of the tactical guys fell that things started to get serious. A licker descended upon him before he could even think about getting back to his feet and not long after his feed went out; along with any hopes of his safe return.

"Shit, I think they got Brent," Rain shouted as she held her position and wished she had more eyes. "Are we almost there?"

"Thirty more seconds and we're in," was the answer.

"Ok," she tried to breathe easy, but before she could finish the deep breath she'd started her feet came out from under her and she was being pulled to the far corner of the room.

"Fuuuuuck!" she screamed as she tried to fire in the general direction of the beast, but nothing was stopping the speed at which she was accelerating toward its mouth.

"Shit! Shoot its fucking tongue, Rain!" Jill screamed as if the young clone would be able to hear her. "The god damn tongue!"

But it was no good. The girl was clearly in panic mode as indicated by the screen and Jill's heart seized in fear as she moved closer to her end.

Then out of nowhere, another scream could be heard barreling toward her. No, not a scream, but a war cry. It was followed by the clanging of metal against concrete and Kara Thrace sliced through the tongue that had imprisoned her friend and hammered down onto the ground. Without another seconds hesitation she picked the girl up immediately and shoved her back in front of the exit door. Where she was able to pass the scan and move them through to the gym area.

Once inside the gymnasium, both Rain and Thrace pumped an indiscernible number of rounds into the six exercising clones. And from the looks of it, not a single fuck was given by either concerning the emotional hardship of shooting their own likenesses.

"Woooooooooooooo!"

It wasn't evident who started or ended the cheers of triumph back in the situation room, but one thing everyone noticed by the end of the hoots and hollers was that Claire and Jill were jumping up and down in each other's arms. The speed at which they pulled away once they realized their mistake would probably have been record breaking were there actually any records left in the world. And though nothing was said, the moment was certainly documented within the minds of everyone in visual range.

* * *

Breathing hard, the team took a few brief seconds to gather their wits after the rushed movements required by their enemies. Thrace stood tall to look around the room. After a quick head count she noticed that someone was decidedly missing from the group.

"Where's Brent? Did anyone see what happened?"

"He's toast," Davidson, a tactical specialist, answered. "They dispatched him so fast we didn't even have a chance to try to retaliate. I can safely say I'm not looking forward to dealing with anymore of those fuckers. Let's hope we don't have to."

"Agreed," Thrace nodded and looked to Rain. "You ok? We nearly lost you back there too."

"I'm fine," her breaths were still coming out in pants. "Thanks for having my back."

"That's my job," she turned to address the rest of the team. "Ok, everyone this next part is stealth heavy. It is imperative that we are not detected, otherwise the rest of this entire facility could be sent down on us and that'll make the last room look like a walk in the park. Stay low, stay quiet and stay alert."

A round of 'Yes sirs' rang through and everyone prepared themselves for their next task.

As the door to the laboratory level opened, the crew filed in as softly as possible. Kara took the lead and communicated via hand signal with everyone to her six. Using full and partial walls as cover they'd nearly made it all the way to their exit point until Rain ran directly into an unsuspecting lab analyst while trying to quick breeze past a hallway.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry!" the analyst yelped.

Rain's eyes widened as she took in the features of one of her closest friends plastered all over the face of a huge potential threat. The blonde locks were much longer and the woman's features may have been accented with makeup but, there was no mistake, she was looking at one of Kara's clones. And then she saw recognition set in on the set of hazel eyes as well.

"Hey you! What are you doing sneaking around the labs? I thought you were on duty till seven?"

"I um..." She looked behind the lab coat to where the other Kara had moved, and saw a silenced pistol aimed right at the scientists head. If she wanted to keep her alive, she'd need to pull this off. "I'm headed down to maintenance to check out a blown fuse."

"Lucrative." the blonde smiled and added a sarcastic element to her tone.

"I know right." Rain smiled, half out of relief and half to keep up the game. "Maybe later I'll get to change a few light bulbs."

The blonde smiled and moved in, her hand running itself along the shoulder strap to Rain's assault rifle, "I think I just thought of an excuse to get you in my quarters tonight."

She pressed further and leaned in for a soft and sultry kiss.

"Not that I ever need an excuse," she said as she pulled back.

Rain's mouth, along with those of everyone on her team, remained open far too long. 'Oh my God!' the only thought even registering in her mind as she scrambled to find the right response.

"I think I might be able to light you up," was the retort she was finally able to force from her lips.

_Light you up? Light you up? What the fuck is wrong with you? _She mentally degraded herself.

"I have no doubt," the scientist replied with a wink and then sidestepped Rain to be on her way. "See you tonight."

The reply, thankfully, was issued without a look back. The dark head shook as its owner forged ahead with her mission along with the rest of her crew. Not one single word was said until they'd finally reached the safety of the maintenance stairwell.

"We don't ever need to talk about what just happened," Thrace warned.

"Absolutely not," Rain agreed with an exhaled breath. "Let's get to those zombies, it'll be way less creepy."

* * *

"How, ya doin' there, pal?" Claire asked Jill with a smug smile.

"Fine," she answered her eyes plastered to the monitors as if she were actually interested in the hacking and slashing that was happening in the maintenance portion of the hive. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Claire shrugged, but maintained her mirthful expression, "I don't know. Things looked like they were getting pretty hot and heavy on the feed there for a minute. Don't you have any comments about Ocampo making out with the girly Thrace?"

"They didn't make out," Jill shook her head. "That wasn't making out it was kissing. No! Better yet," she finally turned to meet Claire's gaze, "it was acting. Rain has a good, kind heart and she didn't want to see the girl just taken out, so she acted her way through a kiss. That's all."

"Hmm, she's pretty convincing," the redhead continued to push. "We should have her put on plays for everyone. Try to boost morale."

Jill knew she couldn't let the anger and insecurity she was feeling bubble over. The room was probably already suspecting something was going on and she didn't exactly want her business completely aired to a room full of soldiers.

"Maybe we should," she agreed. "And I'll bet Thrace would be happy to help. You know, you're Thrace, not that other one. She looks like the type that wouldn't mind acting her way through a slobber session. Hell, maybe I'll audition," she threatened.

The implication sent a shock through Claire's system and she decided it was time for all merriment to cease.

"You know, plays are really overrated," she backed off. "Maybe we should just scrap the idea."

"Good thinking," the corner of Jill's mouth quirked up in victory and she turned her attention back to the screen where the team was standing victoriously over the mutilated corpses of multiple infected.

* * *

"Alright guys," Thrace's voice could be heard over the sound system. "This is the home stretch, we crack the next room and we gain control of the hive. Stay sharp. Let's move out."

As they all shimmied into the ventilation system a wave of relief started to set in throughout the viewing party. The next leg was more tech based than anything, not a whole lot was left to go wrong.

Once the last set of boots dropped onto the floor of the mainframe's antechamber everyone quickly took their position. Tech Jones set started connecting his hardware up to the security desk while Tech Ramirez got to work on the door to the core processor.

"Whatcha got, Ramirez?" Thrace asked.

"Typical hallway with a laser countermeasure," he answered. "Nothing we weren't expecting. It'll only go off if we fuck up the code on the inside."

"Which we're not gonna do, right?" Rain asked.

"Absolutely not," he replied as he finished working his codes and the door to the hallway opened. "Even if we did, Jones has control from the main station. He'll be staying outside and able to shut it off, no problem."

"Alright, then let's make sure he doesn't have to," Thrace agreed. "Move forward."

As they made their way through the eerie hallway everyone tensed. This tunnel was made to instill fear and it certainly did its job well. Rain started to wonder if perhaps it was possible that they'd overlooked something and this wasn't actually the end of the road. But the door opened without the impending doom of laser death and they all let out a sigh of relief.

"See," Ramirez stood in front of the door and addressed the team with a smile. "What'd I tell ya?"

Two hands emerged from the soft mist that filled the room and quickly latched onto the proud tech's head, moving quickly and ending his life with a snap of the neck.

"Holy shit!" Lawrence from tactical yelled. "I thought there wasn't supposed to be anyone in here!"

Everyone raised their weapons in the direction of the door as model number seventeen stepped through with a smile.

"Hello boys," she greeted. "God, it feels good to finally be out of that room."

"Smoke this bitch," Thrace's order was followed by an array of silenced shots. Each one hitting some vital area of the clone's body.

Yet she did not fall. In fact, she started to laugh as the bullets drained their way to the floor.

"Las Plagas," Rain's voice shook as she uttered the words. "We can't kill that thing with bullets, Kara."

"Fuck, fall back, everybody fall back!" she shouted.

She was almost out of the hallway before she decided to look back and take in the form following her. The clone stalked slowly, knowing she had no need to rush. If it got out, it would eventually take out her entire team. And she couldn't let that happen.

"Lawrence!" she yelled at the muscular tactician and tossed her rifle at him; it was only a danger to her now. "Don't let anyone through this door until she's dead."

And with that Thrace locked herself in with the deadly clone and drew her sword.

"What the fuck is she doing?" Clair slammed her hands down on the desk beneath the monitors and yelled.

Her protests being uncannily mimicked by Rain on the other side of the screen.

"If I had to guess," Alice said reluctantly. "I'd say she's going to try to make it to the other side of that tunnel and activate the countermeasures. It's pretty much the only way they have to kill that thing."

"But that's crazy, it's..."Jill stopped herself from finishing in an attempt to regard Claire's feelings.

She needn't bother.

"Suicide," the redhead finished for her. "It's fucking suicide and she damn well knows it!"

They watched as the two adversaries regarded each other.

"It's a brave gesture; trying to save your friends. I'll give you that," the seventeen model noted. "But make no mistake; you're not gonna beat me with that little sword."

With swift and deliberate movements, Thrace carved three straight lines into various parts of the clone's anatomy and followed it up with a kick, knocking her foe to the ground. With a jump, she cleared her victim and made her way to the door panel on the other side.

"I don't plan on beating you with a sword," she jabbed her fingers over a random series of wrong numbers that immediately resulted in flashing lights and the sounding of an alarm.

Moving swiftly, she barreled her way back toward the clone in true linebacker fashion and clocked the unsuspecting victim. She got as close as she dared to the door and awaited the hum of the laser.

As the Agents back at headquarters watched, not even a breath could be heard. The first line of red hot death came barreling out at chest height. Thrace ducked and avoided contact on all fronts. The dark haired clone was not so lucky. Jumping up to grab on to the pipes above, one of her legs simply did not move fast enough; causing the laser to eat right through her boot and take her foot off below the ankle. Screaming in pain she fell back to the floor. Bullet holes may not have posed as much of a problem for her, but it was obvious the severed limb was not regenerating any time soon.

"Fuuuuuuck!" she wailed.

The hum of laser came back to life and both captives scrambled to prepare themselves. This time not one, but tow beams glided through. The seventeen model tried to jump high enough to avoid them again, for she knew she could not remain on the floor, but her efforts failed all the same. Top laser burned through her thighs before she could lift them. Taking her down to the floor yet again.

Thrace scraped through by the skin of her teeth... and her shoulder by jumping between the red lines. She was not completely unscathed given the layer of skin missing from her left shoulder, but she wasn't dead either. She steeled herself for the next round when she saw that her opponent was still breathing. It was quite possible that neither of them were getting out alive.

The hum started up again, this time louder than ever, as a diamond cascaded wall of death hurdled toward both of them.

"Fuck me," Thrace remarked sadly.

She kept her eyes on those of her cellmate. They may have been enemies, but they both feared what was about to come from that laser.

"No, God damnit! Go! Get out of there!" Claire screamed as her eyes took in all that Kara's feed was sending.

She would experience the girl's death from her own viewpoint. Both Alice and Jill moved to put a hand on her shoulder in comfort. But there was little either of them could truly do.

Rain was watching as well from the window. And though her screams had not ceased there was a strange silence that was more like a feeling, resting in all of their hearts. It was the sound of fear. The clutch of the heart when fine crystal slips from your hand and falls to the floor. The tensing of the muscles when impact is imminent during a car crash. The absence of oxygen in the quiet moments following a declaration of love.

Every eye focused on those thin red lines as if they moved in slow motion toward their target. The seventeen model didn't make a sound as they ripped through her body with sterile precision, but she did reach out a hand to her enemy. As if, even in those final seconds, there was some amount of hope living within her.

A single tear escaped Kara's eye as she looked down at a face that so much reminded her of her friend. It was her last thought before she closed her eyes and awaited the burning heat of death; at least her last sight would be the face of a friend. It was lucky really, given she'd had so few in her short life.


	10. Chapter 9

Author's Note: Sorry this one has taken so long, you guys. But, I'm somewhat lacking in the muse area as of late. I blame Lost Girl and the stupid decisions they've been making with my favorite Doctor. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. I also had one of my friends take a little time to Beta read it. Thanks Cara.

Chapter 9

Darkness can be the one of the most efficient forms of fear imaginable. It is, after all, where we've been told the monsters dwell. It is cold, unpredictable, and all encompassing, even though it is merely the absence of a common comfort in which we all share; light. But darkness can also be a blessing. It is a resting place for weary souls; an escape from the brightness of life when witnessing it simply becomes too much. Darkness is sometimes the permission we seek to stop fighting; stop willing. A forgiving mistress when the weight of all things bears down to heavily.

For Kara Thrace, and the few people who cared for her, darkness was a savior.

"Turn it off!"

"Kill the fucking grid!"

"Turn it off, Jones, she's dead! Turn off the Goddamn countermeasure!"

Screams pelted the frenzied technician as he worked quickly to stop the oncoming laser. Fingers furiously danced across a keyboard as the room descended into chaos. Rain was beating on the door to the death tunnel as if the force of her blows alone could save her friend. It was a testament to the tech's skill that he was even able to type his own name, let alone the code that would cease the deathtrap. But finally, just in the very nick of time, the room holding their fearless leader went dark and all shouting finally ceased.

When the door hissed open from the deactivation of the lock, everyone clamored over to the opening but did not pull the large frame back. They didn't know whether or not they'd be witnessing one or two piles of chunked human flesh. It was Rain who finally reached for the handle and steeled herself for the sight that awaited her. When she finally pulled back, a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding escaped with rapidity and she moved forward to fiercely clutch the solid body that stood before her; wearing a sad smile.

"Uggh," Thrace grunted with the force of the hug. "Take it easy, I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm all here."

The words brought Rain out of her elation almost instantly and the rage that had been building within the dark haired recruit overloaded everything else she'd been feeling. Pulling away quickly, she grasped her superior by the collar and threw her against the frame on the outside of the door.

"You stupid, self-loathing, unbelievable fucking freak!" she raged in the blonde's face. "Your dumb ass could have died in there. You should have left and let us figure out a way to turn on the laser from the outside! Why the fuck did you have to play the Goddamn hero? Huh?"

Happy to be there to get yelled at by the feisty clone, Kara couldn't help the laugh that escaped her even as she was being accosted, "I guess I didn't have time to think that far ahead. It's good to see you too, you little ingrate."

Rain growled, "You know what? I have half a mind to beat the shit out of you right now for pulling a stupid stunt like that, but I'm going to hold off because I don't want Claire Redfield feeling bad for you for one second when she gets her hands on you. I have a feeling the ass whoopin' she has in mind right about now is going to be epic."

* * *

"Oh, she has no idea," Claire agreed from the com station. "Can we send audio yet?"

"Not yet," Alice answered. "We still need them to take control of the mainframe before sending any kind of signal in. They're damn close to being out of the woods, but it's not over yet."

"Fine," she huffed. "I'd rather save it untill I see the little shit in person anyway."

A smile crossed Alice's face as she gave the woman a pat on the back, "I certainly pity 'the little shit'. Now, let's try to stay focused for this last bit."

They all watched silently on the monitors as the team proceeded with the last leg of their journey. Filing into the mainframe, Kara directed Jones to cut the power and start reconfiguration. Once they were sure the satellite link was broken, she gave the order to headquarters to open communication.

"Houston, we do not, repeat, do not have a problem. Operation Infiltration is successful. Awaiting final orders to gas the hive."

The com room erupted in cries of victory and claps of success.

"Quiet..." Alice chuckled from her own delight. "Quiet the fuck down and act like professionals, you guys. I need to be able to talk to them."

The final few 'yeahs' and 'woo hoos' ceased and she composed herself enough to address her crew.

"Excellent job team, we're all very proud of what you were able to accomplish. Permission to release nerve gas granted. Pump the fucker full of that shit, I'm sending in the clean-up crew to help you clear it."

"Affirmative, Houston," Thrace answered. "We'll get started and wait for the cavalry."

"Tell her once the smoke has cleared she needs to get her ass back here for immediate debrief," Claire demanded of Alice.

"Do you really need to yell at her at the earliest possible moment?" the leader inquired.

"Yes," the answer was issued with neither humility nor acceptance of argument.

Alice exhaled and rolled her eyes, "Thrace, we will also need you back to base for immediate debriefing as soon as the gas has dissipated."

"Jesus," she replied. "I storm the castle and I don't even get a chance to raid it?"

"Your presence is urgently requested," Alice elaborated.

"I can only guess by whom," the blonde shook her head. "I'll scurry back as quickly as I can, sir. Now if you'll excuse me I have to get to work so I can be home in time for supper. Thrace-out."

"Good job, Thrace. Houston-out."

Claire filed out of the room; most likely to light-up atop the building and prepare the tongue lashing she'd later be issuing.

Alice rolled her eyes and started prepping the cleanup assignments. Before she had a chance to put pen to paper an eager brunette was sidling up to her with expectant eyes.

"Yes?" she prompted Jill.

"I'd like to head up the outgoing cleanup crew."

Alice gritted her teeth before writing fiercely on her note pad "Cleanup Crew: Headed by Jill Valentine" and shoved it over to the annoying Agent.

"Fine, but after all of the dust settles on this very important assignment, I am going to call a meeting about the clusterfuck that is the interpersonal relationships going on within these ranks. You and Claire both should prepare yourselves for a very uncomfortable line of questioning."

"Noted," Jill said with a quick salute before leaving the room without further comment.

"Are any of the rest of you fucking each other?" Alice addressed the remaining Agents.

Nearly every eye in the room averted her gaze as the entire group decided all at once that it was also time for them to disperse.

"It gives them something to live for, you know," Wesker's droll tone unexpectedly expressed. "These ridiculous obsessions with love."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were going soft."

"I'm only part monster, you know," he started to make his exit as well.

She shook her head, assuming it was his weird way of making a joke. Then furrowed her brow and called out before he'd cleared the room.

"You're not fucking someone around here, are you?"

He turned slightly so all she could see was half of his face and answered with nothing more than a smirk before continuing with his steps.

Alice planted a palm against her forehead, "Oh my god, I could have gone my entire life not knowing that."

* * *

"Ok, you know the drill," Kara explained to Rain as she prepared for departure. "You've got at least 24 hours before anything wakes up from the gas. Start with the big mama jamas: bioweapons, lickers, dragons; whatever the fuck they've got going on in here. Nothing lacking communication skills lives. It needs to be shot... multiple times... in the head and fed through the incinerator." Her face turned sour as she thought through the entire process. "You may have to have a few people tasked with hacking them up before tossing them into the fire. Anyway, that's all up to you. Cleanup crew should be here soon to help."

"What about the clones?" Rain asked hesitantly.

"The clones are to be restrained and housed within the detention facility for questioning," Thrace said looking at her seriously. "Under absolutely NO circumstances are you to let ANY of them out. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Yes sir. No freedom for the clones. You have my word."

"I mean it, Rain. I know how your mind works and the soft spot you tend to have for this issue, but they are still the enemy until proven otherwise and they will kill you in a heartbeat. Do not fuck this up."

"Chill out, I won't! I promise."

"Alright, I've got to go and try to placate a grown-ass woman. Take care."

"Hey, what's up with you and Claire anyway?" Rain asked. "Sometimes you play nice, sometimes you don't."

"Isn't it obvious? She's enraptured by my wily charms."

"I'm not so sure it's that simple," The brunette smirked. "What about you? Do you like her?"

"Sometimes..." Kara's gaze took on a faraway element for only a few seconds before she recalled it. "Whatever, maybe we'll talk about it at our upcoming slumber party where you dish the details about you and Jill."

"Alright, be careful on the trip back."

"Have fun being in charge for five minutes," She said, while giving the girl a sincere salute. "You've earned it."

"Dork," The word was said with sarcasm, but the return salute was stiff and regulation.

It was as if in that moment they'd both figured out that they were the future of the resistance. And also that, at some point, they'd have to start acting like it.

* * *

Once the convoy had unloaded everyone on the cleanup crew, Jill wasted no time issuing her orders. A small portion of the team was tasked with clearing and conditioning the outer structure. There were probably a lot of useful items left laying around within the mall and, once converted; the building could be used for security, storage and possible housing.

The second phase involved a bottom's up clearance of all unconscious bodies within the facility. This would have to be done fast, given the time frame involved. The nerve gas would only hold out for so long and they couldn't have a bunch of threats roaming around the hive. She'd have to get with the intelligence officer on the inside to clearly map out what they were up against.

Once off the train, Jill tossed out orders effortlessly. Too effortlessly, actually. Once she'd finished she thought about her tone and remembered its origination. She'd always been driven and assertive, but there was something about the mechanical nature of the 'Umbrella Jill' that was certainly coming through. She made it a point to change that. She would start by being less stiff and rigid in both her stance and words. So odd that certain things stuck with her even after the bug was removed.

_I guess there's something to be said about settling into habits. _She thought to herself. _Time to make some new ones._

"Thanks everyone," she said to the crew. "Be careful. These things may be out, but they're still alive. Take every precaution for your own safety."

As they scurried to get started, she smiled a little to herself. _That wasn't hard at all._

She headed to the mainframe hold as that is where Rain had decided to set up shop. The young recruit was only working with one technician and wanted to be there for whatever he needed. Jill had brought three more with her to help work out all of the computer-based issues. A heavily armed resistance guard stood watch outside the door.

"Agent Valentine to see recruit Ocampo," she stated with a smile.

With a quick salute he stood aside and opened the door.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Upon entering the room her eyes immediately scanned for the woman she'd been aching to see all day. She expected the rush of joy consuming her body as she saw, in person, that Rain truly was safe. She also knew to expect the butterflies that had been present ever since she met the girl. What she didn't anticipate was the sense of pride that would overwhelm her senses at watching the young recruit take charge.

Rain was both working to support Jones with the file transference, as well as issuing orders for the cleanup of the Las Plagas clone, and handling concerns on her radio. It was almost as if this girl would never cease to surprise her in the most positive ways.

One of the techs behind her cleared his throat. "Um, Agent Valentine, would you like us to get started?"

"Yes, sorry, I was busy..."

_Admiring the view_, she thought to herself.

"... thinking of where to start. Why don't we ask recruit Ocampo?"

As they moved closer Rain finally caught her eye and halted all of her duties to address the new arrivals.

"Agent Valentine," she moved closer. "It's good to see you here. Have you come to take command?"

"Not quite yet, actually," she looked around. "I'd like to see what you've got going on here. It seems like you may have a better idea than me on how to negotiate all of this given your time on the scene."

The smile that broke out across the clone's face was enchanting. It was worth all the stars in the sky and more; and all it had cost her was a single sentence of sincere praise.

"I absolutely can do that. Follow me."

They walked over to a table set up with multiple monitors and hard copy schematics. The Hive was truly an incredible innovation in the history of mankind. This one was even further notable due to the extreme circumstances they'd been living in.

The upper levels were devoted to occupant housing and a medical facility, but most of the quarters were vacant due to little need for onsite staff. Any 'soldier' clones were usually made as needed and shipped out on missions. The rest of the clones hanging about were there for security detail or scientific research. Not to mention the ones laying about unconscious, waiting to be detained.

The Hive had everything they could ever possibly need to sustain and destroy life. On top of all of the amenities, there also existed within the unit a highly advanced research facility set up for the study and creation of both bio and mechanical weapons. There was an armory with more weapons and armor than they truly needed at the moment.

"We've already started dispatching the more dangerous bioweapons and will move down the list from there," Rain explained pointing to certain areas of the security cameras. "It's my suggestion that your team split up in to thirds. One group assigned to shooting and gathering the rest of the bioweapons, one for incineration, and one for rounding up and guarding the clones."

Standing next to the clone as she leaned over the desk, she spoke with such confidence that it instilled even more admiration within Jill Valentine. It also served to stir up a few other feelings of a less professional nature. Ever since their brief, romantic encounter, she'd been busy with thoughts of worry and fear. Now, standing next to Rain as she confidently controlled a very important situation, Jill knew she should be focused on nurturing her skills. But in reality, it was taking nearly every ounce of her self control not to throw the girl on the desk, pull her close and kiss her passionately.

"Then that's what we'll do," Jill agreed. "Excellent job, Ocampo."

As Jill raised her hand to her communicator and ordered her crew to their duties, Rain found herself fighting feelings very similar to those of her counterpart. She'd been thinking of nothing more than survival in the last few hours, but now the rush of helping guide a successful mission coupled with the obvious admiration she was receiving from Jill was sending her hormones into a frenzy. She pushed her urges down as much as she could. There were important things that needed to be done right now; Jill obviously knew that. She needed to keep focus so that she could continue to prove her ability.

"Alright, that's taken care of," the Agent stated. "Why don't you show me some of the spaces you've already cleared so that I can get a better idea of what we're working with?"

"Absolutely," she replied professionally. "We'll start with the armory and the gun range. They're right around the corner. Follow me."

They walked in silence down the hall, both lost in their own thoughts. Once they'd reached their destination, Rain pulled a small notebook from her back pocket and referenced it before punching in the code to the door, followed by her retinal and thumbprint scan.

"You're quite the important character around here, given all of that security clearance," Jill joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, we're working on getting that fixed," the clone smiled as she moved in and held the door. "But for now, I'm kind of the go-to girl for bypassing some of these locks."

As they moved along rows and rows of firearms of every shape and size, Jill wondered if Rain would make a move; she didn't. The girl was busy rattling off the specs of the space and contents of the racks as they walked among them.

_Is she nervous around me right now? Has she changed her mind about the whole kissing thing? _Jill wondered. _Maybe she's scared we'll get caught._

"So, as you can see, we're pretty damn well-stocked," the clone said as she moved to open the next door, which lead to the shooting range. "Any questions so far?"

"No, I think the guns are pretty self-explanatory," Jill replied. "And I'd assume they're pretty secure given you're the only one who can access them for now, right?"

"Exactly," she answered. "I'd like to see someone try to get through that door right now."

"I wouldn't," Jill muttered under her breath. Deciding, since they were alone, to try to push the physical proximity and see how Rain responded. She moved to one of the target stands and swiftly pulled her side arm from its holster and fired off a few rounds into the target down the lane.

Rain was startled a bit by the unexpected gunfire, then quickly composed herself moving closer to see how Jill had faired. As the target glided swiftly to its destination, it became evident just how refined her skills were with a firearm. Two large holes eroded the surface area of the printed form: one in the middle of the head, another straight through the heart. And the holes weren't just from single shots either. It was obvious a few bullets had passed through each destination. Further amplifying the Agents accuracy and prowess.

"Wanna give it a shot?" she asked casually.

The clone chuckled, "After you? Sure, I imagine I could use a little humility after such an epic win today."

She pulled her own handgun from its holster and waited for the target to settle, then took aim and fired off five staggered shots. They were nowhere near as fast as Jill's and almost definitely less accurate, but she felt she should have pulled off a respectable score. As Jill moved in closer to press the retrieval button, she could see that wasn't the case.

"Hmm," the Agent squinted and tried to keep her comments to herself.

Unless the clone had threaded two of Jill's shots, which was highly unlikely, she only managed to hit the target three times. Once in the neck, once in the shoulder and once in the stomach.

"Well, that's just depressing," she admitted, taking the paper down and staring in awe at her level of suck.

Jill smiled at one more thing she found endearing about Rain; her absolute lack of defensive posturing.

"Let's try it again," the Agent replaced the target and sent it down the lane. "I'll even let you in on one of my secrets."

"I'll take all the help I can get," was the reply.

"Good," Jill's smile took a mischievous turn as she closed in on her prey. "Let's make sure we start with the basics that they probably already taught you back at the base.

"Tight grip," she instructed as she encircled the girl's arms with her own and allowed the rest of their bodies to mingle.

"Right arm straight," she moved her mouth just close enough to the girl's ear that her lips brushed it with certain syllables. Her hand glided on the underside of the arm in question and ever so lightly brushed the side of her breast as it made its way back.

Rain's breathing was becoming labored at this point and it hadn't gone unnoticed by her sneaky tormentor.

_What the hell is her secret? Sexual arousal? _The clone wondered to herself.

"Right leg slightly behind the left, for a braced position," as she spoke her hand continued its torturous path down the girls side and to the front of her hip before moving lower to the front of her thigh and pressing it back.

_Is she doing this on purpose?_

"Your breathing seems to be a little labored, Rain. Try to calm it down," she moved her left hand to the clone's abdomen, serving only to pull them closer together as she spoke in soft and sultry tones. "Breathe out against my hand: slow and deep."

Rain tried desperately to do as she was told, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it up, "Ok, I think I've got the basics, now what's this secret?"

A brief, but devious chuckle escaped from Jill's mouth and she regrouped quickly to continue with her lesson. Honestly, she was just as ready for it to end as Rain was. Being this close to her without acting was no easy task.

"The trick is to let your mind wander," she instructed as she backed away just enough to give her some space. "Let it go as far away from that target as possible and allow your body to go on autopilot and then fire."

It wasn't that difficult. As soon as the physical connection was lost, all Rain could think of was getting it back. As the realization flitted through her mind she just squeezed the trigger and gave in to her instincts. Once the last shot was fired she engaged the safety on the gun and slammed it back into its holster before turning to Jill with fire in her eyes.

She didn't waste another second wondering if it was right or wrong to seem professional in the other woman's eyes. She knew what she was doing when she instigated her little training session and Rain would be damned if Jill thought she wasn't going to act on it. In a fierce moment, she moved in and grabbed the Agent by the hip, sliding her hand around to the small of her back as she roughly pulled her in. Simultaneously her right hand raked its fingers through the short, dark hair and pulled eager lips into a kiss filled with the same passion they'd managed to inspire that very morning.

A desperate moan escaped Jill's mouth as the onslaught ensued and she countered vigorously with one of her own; grasping her left hand against Rain's shoulder and sending the left to clutch at the back of her neck. A strong thumb moving forcefully back against a wondrous jaw line.

Their tongues dueled for dominance as teeth and lips backed them up. And though mutual passions rose in the heat of the moment, Jill pulled it back to look directly into the eyes she'd longed to see all day.

She didn't need to say anything. The 'I was so scared you wouldn't make it' and 'I'm so happy you're still here' came through perfectly in her endeared gaze. And as the breaths passed between them Rain heard every word she wasn't saying. So, this time when their lips met the moment was full of softness and relief. A gentle revisiting of lands in which they'd both become so enamored. Arms moved to hold each other close, not direct each other in dominant passions.

It was Rain who pulled back this time.

"I'm glad you're here... even though I'm pretty sure you just punished me for all of my infractions with that bullshit little shooting lesson of yours."

Jill giggled... Like literally giggled and shut it off quickly once she realized what she was doing. Then moved to the lane.

"Oh yeah? Let's see how you did," she pushed the button to bring back Rain's target.

Every single bullet hit: three in various parts of the head and two piercing the heart. Jill pulled it from its frame and moved closer to the aggressor.

"I'd say my lesson was not only apt, but a complete success."

The clone was about to offer a different perspective, but was interrupted by static tones of her radio.

"Recruit Ocampo, we need you down in research to open some of these doors," a male voice said.

"10-4. I'm on my way," she answered, then let go of the talk button and regarded Jill. "We're supposed to break for food and sleep in a few hours. There's something I want to show you."

"Getting awfully used to tossing out those orders aren't ya?" Jill tilted her head and raised her eyebrows. "I didn't hear a single 'please' in any of those sentences."

Rain moved in closer and quirked her features, "Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll say please for you later," she turned without a look back to make her exit. "For now, Agent Valentine, let's get back to work."

With a smile and a shake of her head, the love struck brunette did as she was told.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kara Thrace was finishing up her debriefing to the remaining Agent crew. She knew that it was really nothing more than a formality rushed by one Claire Redfield, but still, she spoke with both professionalism and authority as she closed her statements.

"The housing available to the hive is enough to sustain the current population and more, but it is my recommendation that we do not send everyone over. Putting all of our eggs in one basket would make our location even more of a target and place us back in the same situation we're in now. It is also my suggestion that we start the process of building a tunnel between the two bases. Air and land travel will be ok for now, but Umbrella is sure to come sniffing around once they realize that location is off the grid. We need to be both stealth and mobile," she moved her hands behind her back as she delivered her final statements.

"In conclusion, we have gained not only more real estate on the playing field, but greater tactical advantage. You also now have resources exclusive to Umbrella that will finally put us on equal footing. They may have us by the balls in the area of numbers right now but, as of today, we're all playing with the same toys. Thank you."

Everyone in the room clapped in congratulations for the young prodigy. Even Claire put her hands together for a slow smack as her eyes shot daggers.

"Well done, Operative Thrace," Alice stood to speak. "The acquirement of the Hive is the most ambitious mission success we've had since the extraction of myself from the Russian Facility and an even bigger step toward winning the fight against Umbrella. Because of your involvement from top to bottom on this monumental task, we feel you've shown the leadership, skills and initiative required to join the ranks of the Agents. Welcome aboard."

A swell of pride flooded her chest as she reached out to accept the hand being offered by Alice. Again, the room softly applauded her advancement and she couldn't help the smile that forced itself fully across her face.

"Thank you very much," she tried to keep the glee from showing through in her tone.

"Your first order of business will be the full organization of Hive number one: codename Starbuck," Alice explained. "Rest up tonight. You've earned it and you're going to need it for when you head back out tomorrow."

"Yes sir," she gave a quick salute to Alice and waited for everyone to file out of the room in hopes of a one on one with Claire who, not surprisingly, took her time gathering her things.

Once they were finally alone in the large, cold conference room Thrace finally opened up the dialogue.

"So," she moved closer to lean against the table directly next to where Claire was standing. "I'm an Agent now. Guess we can finally be friends."

"Do you have any idea what you did back there?"

"Yeah, I made a massive breakthrough in the survival of the human race, while drastically increasing my chances to be promoted to Agent status. All in all, I'd call it a win."

"So that's what this is about. You moving up in the ranks and looking like a hero?"

"I love how you completely negate the first part of my sentence by unrealistically highlighting the last."

"You could have died!" Claire stood firm, her jaw tight and angry as she breathed hard through her teeth.

"No, I should have died," the blonde's tone was defiant. "That laser was so close to my face I could feel the heat coming off of it. There was no reason I should have made it out of that room alive, but I did! And any coulda, shoulda, wouldas are just words now because I'm here; a living, breathing being delivering the future of the human race at your feet. Now, are you going to kiss me, like you know you want to, or are you going to continue to put up this tired, stubborn act just because you're still holding on to the fear of what might have happened but didn't?"

"I do not want to kiss you," the redhead punctuated her statement by stalking around the left side of the table toward the door.

Thrace followed suit on the opposite side and stopped her with strong hands on her arms.

"Yes you do," she barked forcefully. "You don't want to admit it, but I've seen it in your eyes. And, newsflash Einstein, I want to kiss you too. The first thought that even entered my mind after the lights went out in that chamber, and I knew I was still alive, was that I'd get to see you again. That maybe we'd finally get to do this thing we've wanted to do for so long. And I know you felt the same fucking thing."

"How dare you presume to know what I want!"

She tried to pull away, but was unsuccessful, anger blazing in her eyes.

"I do know what you want, Claire," Thrace held tight as she spoke through gritted teeth. "You waffle between being the hero you can be and the suicidal waste that you think you owe to some girl long since dead. You walk around here playing hero to the misfits because of this need to make yourself feel something... anything worthy of life. When the real truth is you're more worthy than you know. If that girl loved you, and I know she did, she'd kick your ass right now for being so goddamn blind to your own potential."

Claire had had enough. She threw all of her muscle and weight into a full-on run, grabbing Kara by the collar and finally landing her back harshly against the wall.

"You're so good at throwing your little Psycho Babble 101 at me, why don't you take a good look at yourself, Kara! You traipse around here proud to be the only 'untouchable' on the roster. You're so in love with this desperate need to have nothing to hold onto because deep down you're scared of being hurt. So scared that you actually get off on the idea of going out in a blaze of glory just so you feel some sense of self worth in those last few moments. And then you dare to talk about me being the ambassador of the misfits? At least I try to make friends and encourage people. You push people away every chance you get because you're a Goddamn coward."

It stung.

It all stung. The barbs thrown by both antagonists were seeping in painfully to their targets. It was Kara who finally lowered her shield and laid herself bare.

"Then why am I not pushing you away?"

The muscles in the redhead's face loosened and her eyes began to mist over. Giving Thrace the smallest inkling of a sign that it was ok to press forward.

"Why am I so happy to be alive, and near you, that I don't even care that we're fighting?"

A sad chuckle escaped her mouth as her own orbs started to fill with confused tears.

And as much as Claire wanted to keep fighting; as scared as she was to even contemplate the closeness that existed between them, she couldn't combat the strength of the connection she had to the woman in front of her.

"You crazy, stupid, insubordinate freak."

The words were spoken with surrender and followed by hands that reached up to grasp a face and guide it toward her lips. The movements were accepted by arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her close.

One would have thought the kiss would be rough; lips crashing into each other. Bruising, commanding and owning.

But it wasn't. Two individuals that strived so hard to remain strong, especially against each other, broke once there was nothing left to do but come together.

Claire softly stroked the blonde's face as lips tried to convey every 'I'm sorry' and 'I'm glad you aren't pushing me away' that her voice could not. And it was returned in kind as Kara pulled her close moved her lips with gentle purpose.

It wasn't exploration, but more of a resurrection of something both of them thought long since dead. The wonder of actually feeling good again. The majesty of something to actually look forward to. All encapsulated in the diminished space between two lips.

Desperation serves as a massive canvas for hope once the opportunity to experience the latter comes along. And as they pulled away they realized all of that. So, they stood there; both experiencing the same wonder and not knowing how to verbalize it.

* * *

Jill wasn't sure what Rain had in mind as she walked the unfamiliar corridors of the hive looking for room 222. Upon finding it she awaited the arrival of her friend. The hiss of the opening door startled her a bit as she turned to see the dark haired clone waiting inside with a smile.

"C'mon in, you're right on time," she held out her hand.

As Jill took it and walked curiously into the room her eyes filled with wonder. Sights and smells she hadn't experienced in months captivated her senses. She was standing in what was basically a human constructed Garden of Eden. Fruits, vegetables, grass... you name it, all confined within the giant room.

After eating nothing but gruel for over three months, her mouth watered at the thought of even the smallest berry. Her features grew damn near predatory when Rain dangled an apple in front of her face. With cat-like reflexes Jill snatched it away and crunched right into it. The snap was like music, the smell like perfume and the juicy, grainy texture like spring time.

It took a few seconds after she swallowed to actually open her eyes and regard her onlooker with the affection she so rightfully deserved.

"That was amazing," she beamed.

"That was just the beginning," Rain tried to restrain the giddiness she herself felt over the discovery of the garden, but her grin gave her away as she lead Jill to a blanket littered with an array of different treats. "This place is full of fruits and vegetables AND we think that it's also serving as an air circulation hub for the entire hive. So, if something were to go wrong on the surface, we'd be completely sustainable down here."

"It's amazing," Jill said, her green eyes still so far off in wonderment that she just now looked down to notice the beautiful gesture before her. "And so are you."

"Nah," Rain said humbly as she took a seat. "I just rustled up a blanket and some fruit. It's no big."

"You created a romantic dinner for two, during the apocalypse, after taking over one of the most hostile environments imaginable," Jill corrected her as she too sat down. "If you don't think that's amazing I'd say your standards for the word itself are pretty fucking ambitious."

"Just enjoy it," the clone chuckled and popped a grape into her mouth. "Once everybody gets here we probably won't be able to have a lot more moments like this."

"I honestly think if I were enjoying myself any more right now I'd probably explode from too many feelings."

And it was true. They'd all been through so much for so long. Even small things like food, friendship and a silent moment seemed like the stuff of dreams. Nothing actually possible in real life.

"I guess making out is gonna have to wait for more dire times then," Rain joked. "Wouldn't want you to explode."

The Agent felt her face warm at the thought as she took in the other woman. As soon as Rain made the joke she averted her eyes and became very interested in peeling one of the oranges. As if she was embarrassed by her attempt at flirtation.

It was then that it hit her; it was probably the clone's first actual attempt at flirtation. Every time they'd come together before this had been serious, volatile and direct. She seemed insecure, and Jill wanted to make sure she understood that there was no reason to be.

"Some explosions aren't so bad," she smiled softly and moved closer. Her gaze was far from the predatory heat she emoted earlier. It wasn't about that right now. "Rain, are you ok with everything that's developed between us? I know that there have been a lot of firsts for you in the past few days regarding us."

"I wouldn't necessarily call that a bad thing," she re-established connection. "Honestly, it's kind of exhilarating. Doing all of these new things... with you. I trust you."

The words melted her heart, "I promise I'll do everything I can to keep things that way."

"Then shut up and kiss me before you start making me nervous," she smirked, causing a brief laugh to escape Jill's mouth before she leaned in to otherwise occupy it.

As their lips came together they simply allowed the world around them to be temporarily perfect. With slow, savoring movements the two women forced all of the darkness of their past away. There was nothing but each other and the lightness the garden provided. They knew it wouldn't last, nothing ever does. But still,lthey sat there enjoying the moment together. Because, really, the present is all we ever have. And right now their present was complete, beautiful and perfect.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Staring contests are weird. They originated somewhere in grade school, before handheld videogames, when kids had to get really creative to find entertainment. So, they'd sit there, looking into each other's eyes, trying not to look away. Thinking about doing that as an adult is nearly unfathomable. But for Claire Redfield and Kara Thrace, there was absolutely no choice in the matter. They'd just kissed for the first time and it needed to be addressed in some way, but neither wanted to be the first to speak.

Two things were occurring to Claire at that moment: the first was that she should probably be the one to start off the dialogue given that she was still the senior ranking member in the room, and the second was about taking the leap and speaking first; this meant that she could issue forth some questions to Thrace and possibly take back control of the situation. So she opened her mouth to speak, not entirely sure what was about to come out of it.

"How long have you wanted to do that?"

Kara's face took on a stunned expression as she started to assess the situation and realized that Claire had somehow negotiated regaining the upper hand.

"I..." she stammered. "Well, how long have you?"

"I asked you first," Claire stepped forward to push her point.

"Um, ok," she tried to think of a way to keep Claire from completely interrogating her. "If I answer then you have to let me ask a question. Quid pro quo and such."

"Fine, stop stalling," she leaned in and braced her hand on the wall near Kara's face. "How long?"

"Off and on since the first time I met you," she finally spat out.

"What do you mean off and on?" Claire's forehead scrunched.

"Nuh-uh, it's my turn now," she pointed a finger into the redhead's chest before crossing her arms and adopting a mischievous grin. "Did you like it?"

Claire cocked her jaw and tried to bite back the smile that was growing on her own face, "It wasn't bad."

"Not bad?" she tried to look offended. "Really? When was the last time you played hard-to-get? Because you suck at it."

Claire allowed the full smile to cross her face at that moment, but it soon turned to a worried pursing of the lips. "Whether I liked it or not, us continuing to act on it probably isn't the best idea."

"Why?" Thrace asked soberly.

"Because it complicates things. I've probably already landed in a mountain of trouble with Alice over the way I acted about you taking down the Hive. If we took things further, it would only serve to make those moments more frequent."

Kara rolled her eyes, "Jesus, of all the people I've ever met, you are the absolute best at finding a way to ruin your own possible happiness. Claire, we are living in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters roam the Earth and our lives are on the line every single day. Your professionalism as a member of the resistance should be the last thing on your mind. What do you think Alice is going to do? Send you to bed without dinner?"

Claire shook her head. "It's not that simple, Kara. The monsters may be one fight we have to face, but so is maintaining order and that is barely hanging on by a thread as it is. The power held by anyone around here has a little to do with strength and a lot to do with self delusion. It's all arbitrary and can turn on a dime. If Alice doesn't want fraternizing within the ranks, we have to obey that."

"Let me get this straight," Kara stated as she put her hands on Claire's shoulders. "You're telling me that if we hook up, that action could single handedly ruin the ranks of the resistance... And you think that giving this thing between us the added allure of being forbidden fruit is going to make me want it less?"

"That's not what I said," Claire crossed her arms and furrowed her brow in annoyance.

"Don't you think you may be taking all of this a little too seriously? I mean, I've heard of Earth shattering sex, but I never thought I'd have the chance to experience it," Kara joked.

"It's not funny, Thrace!" she growled, punching the other woman in the arm.

"Actually, it is funny, but you know what's hysterical?"

"God, do I dare ask?"

"Well, for one, you basically just admitted to me that the only thing that's stopping this from happening is House Mother Alice's blessing, which I will absolutely ask for if that's what's required to win your hand," the sarcasm from her last statement could have been collected and bottled in abundance. "But the best part is it also tells me that you're not only interested, but taking this whole thing seriously."

"And how do you possibly figure that?" Claire indulged her briefly.

"Because, as allergic to fun as you may seem, Claire Redfield, I know for a fact that you get your kicks from time to time around last call at the bar if the right girl just so happens to be lounging about. You haven't been celibate this whole time and you certainly haven't kept your pen out of the company ink. Girls talk. I know you liked kissing me. The question is what's holding you back from doing it again. And I think the answer is that you genuinely like me and that scares you."

Claire looked deeply into the blonde's eyes. Kara was right, and as much as Claire wanted to bat her away yet again, she was tired of fighting.

"What if you're right? What does that matter?"

"It matters because I'm brave enough for the both of us. And I don't take kindly to giving into fear," she put an arm around Claire's shoulders and started to lead them out of the conference room. "Now come on, I've got to be up early in the morning and I'd like to have a few drinks at the bar. If you're lucky, I'll let you get me liquored so you can try to take advantage of me."

"You know, that whole smartass thing isn't going to be entertaining forever," Claire protested with her words, but her body followed the girl's lead.

"And that's exactly what the booze are for," Thrace replied as she led them away for what would hopefully be a non-violent evening.

* * *

"They can't just keep us locked up down here forever," Mal stated, his tone agitated, but even as his fists gripped the bars that held him and his compatriots captive within the Hive, he knew that the aggressors who'd stormed the castle may very well be planning on doing just that.

"Well sure, they'll have to take us for bathroom breaks at some point," Tony joked from his relaxed position on one of the corner benches.

"This is no time for jokes, Stark," Mal said as he turned from the bars and faced the arrogant scientist. "This entire facility has been taken over by people who are more than likely terrorists. We could all be dead by morning if we don't figure out some kind of plan."

"Right, and I'm sure as the head of the maintenance crew you're more than apt for that task," he pulled a plastic spoon from his lab coat. "I swiped this from the lunch room earlier. Was going to use it for my pudding cup, but perhaps with your expert skill you could figure out a way to use it as a makeshift shovel and dig our way up to the surface. Should only take you a couple thousand years."

"I swear to God, you super brainy types are all alike. We're all in the same danger right now, all bound to the same social station, yet you still lord over the rest of us like your shit don't stink."

"Could you please use whatever the functioning part of your knuckle-dragging brain is and think about why we're still alive in the first place? We were gassed, Mal; then shoved in here for safe keeping. If they wanted us dead we would be because they're certainly not going to be using us as hostages- no one would ever claim us. Umbrella may pay some of us well, but they don't give a damn about our lives and should anyone try to so much as whisper about a highly technological facility running dangerous experiments below the Earth's surface, they'd be down here guns a blazing in a hot minute. Not to save our asses, but to save theirs from the political fallout. So, why don't you sit down before you think this through too much and hurt yourself."

"God! Could you guys just shut it?" the voice came from one of the female guards. "Some of us are nursing the after effects of a very annoying concussion."

"Rain's right," the long haired Kara Thrace asserted as she gently checked the dark haired guard's wounds with the Hive's doctor, "Bickering with each other isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to work together to try to figure out what they want."

"Oh, I'm really sorry if we're interrupting a beautifully touching moment of comfort between you and your girlfriend," Tony responded. "But once you two finish up playing doctor, maybe you could use your feminine wiles to extract some information from the male guards outside the door."

"Is it just your goal to be the most hated person in the cell block or something?" Lauren, the Hive's head physician, asked.

"I believe it's always important to excel at something," he replied.

Before any further argument could commence, the outer door opened and two women in tactical gear walked into the holding area. The one with short dark hair seemed to be in charge as she stood slightly ahead of the shorter girl and spoke first.

"Good morning," she said. "My name is Agent Jill Valentine. I am one of the lead field Agents for the Resistance Army and, as of now, I am in charge of all prisoners along with my associate Rain Ocampo."

"Oh my God!" Kara jumped up at the sight of a mirror image of her lover standing on the other side of the bars. "They've somehow gotten a hold of a Seventeen model," she said to the girl next to her.

"Yeah, I noticed. She was kind of bashing my head into the ground earlier," the other Rain stood as well to regard her twin.

"I'm sorry about that," the Recruit said.

"Not now, Rain," Jill admonished softly before addressing the prisoners again. "I'm sure that you all have a lot of questions that need to be answered and I assure you they will be in due time, but for right now I need you to understand that as long as you cooperate with us you will not be harmed. You'll each be brought out one by one for an interviewing session where you will be given food and water as well as bathroom privileges. But for right now, we ask for your patience as we get things situated around here."

"What do you people want?" Mal asked, his jaw tight. "What the hell is the Resistance Army?"

"Believe it or not, we're here to help you," Jill answered.

"Um, sweetheart, if you'd like to help me specifically, might I request a scotch on the rocks and a more revealing outfit?"

"Hmmf," Jill smirked at his incredulity. "You're going to be particularly fun to speak with, Mr. Stark. Just not the kind of fun I'd assume you're used to."

"Well, it was worth a shot," he leaned his head back up against the wall as if bored by the conversation.

"Actually, I'd say it's worth a lot more than that," the long, blonde haired doctor stepped forward. "You people can't expect us to just sit back and say nothing about what you've done. There are a substantial number of absent faces from this crowd. I don't assume you've got them held up in some holding cell unknown to the rest of us."

Rain's face fell to the floor and Jill knew it had happened without even a glance. That's why she had to stay strong and keep her own held high.

"It is utterly regretful that any lives were lost in our siege of this facility, but I assure you, every precaution was taken to keep casualties at a minimum."

"I highly doubt that," the doctor spat.

"It's true," Hive-Kara stated with a dazed stare. "I met you earlier, didn't I?"

The question was posed to Rain who answered with a worried nod.

"What are you talking about?" Hive-Rain questioned and she stood to draw closer.

"I um..." the lab assistant faltered. "I ran into her in the hallway and... thought she was you."

"Uh-huh, and what happened after that?" the tone was tinged with jealousy.

"Well, we just had a quick chat and... I mean, she was pretending to be you, so I assume she was doing so in order to keep me in the dark and spare my life."

"I was," Recruit Ocampo nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah, well if I know Kara well enough, I'd say you did more than that," Hive-Rain challenged.

"Ok, we kissed, but I swear I didn't want to," Resistance-Rain said as much to her clone as she did to Jill, who was wearing a smile she could not see. "She looks just like my best friend. It was like kissing my sister. I just didn't want to see her die."

"So you did kiss her!" Hive-Rain shrieked.

"How was I supposed to know it wasn't you? You look just like each other and the kiss was quick."

Further argument broke out amongst the prisoners and was finally silenced by Jill.

"Hey, hey, hey! Everybody settle down! Believe me we're all unhappy about this entire situation, but we need to try to understand the circumstances before we devolve into fighting with each other."

"I hate to admit this, but I think the cutie-pie in charge is right," Tony Stark agreed. "They say they're a part of this Resistance Army. Umbrella knows about every damn threat in the world. Small militias can't gather without them alerting us to it. If they were advanced enough to take down the Hive, and we've never heard of them, then I'd say we probably need to listen to them... That and, if they are enemies of Umbrella, they're probably the good guys."

Everyone became silent as he stood to address the Resistance himself.

"You're probably gonna want to question me first," he cleared his throat. "I'm kind of the one in charge right now."

"Don't be so sure you haven't signed your death warrant with that boast," Sheva, the head botanist, warned as she put a hand on his arm.

"Like I said, sweetheart, I'm betting these are the good guys," his confidence was faltering, but still he stood tall.

* * *

Kara awoke to an obnoxious alarm, in a bed that was certainly not her own. Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry and tasted like death. As she took stock of her facilities, she realized that she was clad only in her underwear and undershirt, so she looked around to figure out exactly where she was and what had transpired last night. When her eyes landed on a smirking Claire Redfield, she cringed in both embarrassment as well as remorse.

"How ya doin there, hero?" the agent asked with a moderate amount of snark.

"I've been better," she rasped. "What happened last night? And please tell me we didn't sleep together because if we did, I don't remember it. And I'd really like to remember it."

"Oh, we slept together alright," Claire answered.

"Oh God! Then please tell me I was good," she moaned, burying her head in the pillow.

"Slept, being the operative word," the redhead decided to save the torture for another time. "You were so wasted by the time we got back here that you promised me the time of my life and then passed out before I'd even switched off the lamp."

"Yeah, that sounds just like me," she finally removed her blonde head from its safe haven and regarded the Agent with glassy eyes. "I didn't puke all over you did I? Because that sounds just like me too."

"Nope, no vomiting, minimal drool, and a lot of snoring," she moved to sit on the bed and hand the girl a glass of water. "You're lucky I have headphones, otherwise you'd never be allowed to sleep over again."

Kara drank greedily from the glass and then processed that last sentence, "Wait does that mean I am allowed to sleep over again because you had headphones?"

Claire rolled her eyes, "We'll play that one by ear. Now get dressed, we're supposed to be heading over to the Hive soon and I don't want to be late."

"Ughhh," Kara grunted as she slowly pulled herself from the comfort of the bed. "How did I manage to get so incredibly drunk last night?"

"Well, by the time we made it to the bar word got round of your mission success and people were offering to do shots with you left and right."

"And I felt the need to drink all of them?" the girl asked incredulously as she made her way to the shower.

"I warned you that doing so may not be in your best interests and you replied with 'Listen, Ginger, these assholes may never be nice to me again. Tonight I get to be the popular kid on the playground!' and that's when I shut up, sat back and watched the destruction."

"What destruction?" she asked, peeking out from the bathroom door.

"I'd say your pride, mostly," Claire tried as hard as she could to keep her delight in check. "Your dancing skills are probably pretty terrible on solid ground, but they were atrocious on top of the bar."

"Jesus fucking Christ. I don't want to hear anymore," she finally said as she started the shower.

"You mean you don't want to hear the part about the very hairy men and the body shots?" she said, not even trying to hide her smile.

"Not now and not for the rest of my life!"

"Good," she said under her breath. "Then I won't have to tell you I just made that part up."

They went about the rest of their morning packing and preparing for their departure. Alice and Chris would be accompanying them with a contingency of scientists, tech analysts as well as tactical reinforcements, but a full blown integration of the Hive was not expected right away. There were too many variables especially considering the clones still residing within.

Claire's eyes were wide with awe as she took in the sheer scope of the Hive. It had to be massive given how far below the surface they were. Kara noticed it even in her hung-over state and it caused a swell of happiness to rise within her. Claire so seldom looked as wide-eyed as a child; in fact, it was sometimes difficult to believe she'd ever even been a child. But today, she was somewhat softer around the edges.

"So, what do you think?" Kara asked.

Claire was brought out of her reverie by the question and sobered herself to answer.

"It'll do, I guess."

Thrace responded with a chortle, "It'll do? Should we have rolled out the red carpet and thrown rose petals at your feet, princess?"

"Oh, come on," Alice piped in. "If Claire acted too excited, she'd have to admit you were right about something."

"Yeah, we certainly can't have that," The blonde shot back.

"I'd be careful who you side with, Alice," the redhead bit back. "You've felt my wrath before."

Alice only replied with a chuckle before they reached the security desk and she returned the salute of the recruit standing guard.

"Commander Alice with more recruits to be lodged within," she said with a smile.

"Affirmative Commander," he said sturdily. "We've been waiting for you. Your belongings will be delivered to your quarters. I believe Agent Valentine is awaiting your arrival on level four in the conference room."

"No rest for the wicked," the Commander said softly to her compatriots. "I'll be right up, Recruit."

"Agents Redfield and Thrace, you are welcome to settle into your rooms and familiarize yourself with the facilities," he said before giving a final salute and sitting back down.

"Thanks pal," Kara gave a quick salute back before addressing her companion. "So, I guess this is it for a while. I'd like to ask you if you have plans later, only so you could turn me down, but sadly I've promised some girly time to Ocampo."

"Well, I'm glad you're not the clingy type because I have plans too and would have shot you down."

"You and Alice hooking up later?" Thrace asked, though she assumed she already knew the answer.

"No, contrary to popular belief, Alice isn't the only person around here with whom I choose to associate besides yourself."

Thrace was somewhat taken aback, but tried to project a cool demeanor.

"Should I be jealous?" She asked flippantly.

"No more-so than you actually are," Claire replied, catching her in the act. "See ya tomorrow."

Kara waited for the redhead to leave before requesting a complete list of all the current occupants of the Hive so she could pour over it nervously before making her plans later that evening.

* * *

After a grueling session with Alice and the head Resistance psychologist concerning the emotional difficulties of integration between the strongholds, Jill was exhausted. Past actually figuring out whether or not the clones could be trusted, there was the much larger issue of anticipating their reaction to what was, for all intents and purposes, an occupation.

All she wanted to do was take a hot shower and go to bed. She'd prefer it to be curled up against a certain female recruit but she knew that Rain was otherwise occupied with some much needed friend time. She was glad the girl had someone to confide in and talk to about everything that was going on.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a familiar face popped up.

"Hey. How goes the hostile takeover?" Claire Redfield asked as if she were interested.

"Good," Jill replied, surprised that Claire had any interest in receiving that kind of update from her as opposed to Alice. "Well, kind of. I mean, there was a lot more disgusting behavior going on with Umbrella than we'd previously believed, but..."

"Yeah, yeah, that's great. Listen, are you off duty now?"

Jill's face showed complete confusion as she answered, "Yes... Why?"

"Because you're going to hang out with me tonight."

"I am?" she asked, her confusion was still unwavering.

"Yes," Redfield answered as if there were no conversation on the matter.

"Ok, not that I'm unappreciative of this extremely kind gesture on your part, but... why do you want to hang out with me?"

"Because I want to talk about girl stuff and I can't discuss it with Alice," she answered as if it should be so apparent to the other woman. "Now, you can refuse and I can go back to hating you, or we can go to the bar, grab a drink and talk to each other like grown-ass women."

Jill knew her answer would be yes, before she asked her next question, but it seemed to issue from her lips without warrant. "There's a bar in this facility?"

"Duh, it was one of the first things I inquired about. Now are you in or not?"

"I'm in. Lead the way O-beer Wan."

Claire looked at her as if she'd grown an extra head.

"It's a Star Wars reference," Jill tried to explain herself.

"Yeah, I got it. I just didn't think you were such a dork," the redhead answered as if she were rethinking her offer.

Jill caught her distance and responded quickly, "I'm not! I'd love to hear about your girl stuff. I've got girl stuff to talk about too. I'd love to talk about girl stuff with you!"

"Sweet Jesus, I hope they have hard liquor," Claire huffed leading the way. "Come on, then."

Jill followed suit swiftly.

* * *

Just as Kara had put away the entire contents of her room, which really only consisted of a duffle bag, a knock could be heard coming from her door. Upon opening it she found the smiling face of an obnoxiously happy Rain Ocampo holding two bottles of what looked like champagne.

"Ready to braid my hair?"

"You know it," Thrace deadpanned, though the very idea of drinking any kind of alcohol was a somewhat nauseating, she did know that their girls night was not optional and that possibly a little hair of the dog might help with her general disposition. Plus she really did want to talk to Rain about everything that had been going on.

"Nice digs, Agent," Rain remarked. "How does it feel to be one of the important people now?"

"About the same as it did to be one of the unimportant ones... aside from the fact that I don't have to share a room with someone who hates me anymore," she moved to grab a couple of glasses that had been stocked in her cabinets and uncorked one of the bottles. "Never thought I'd ever see this stuff again. Though, I must admit, I probably never actually saw the stuff in the first place. Gets a little fuzzy sometimes regarding what I have and have not done in real life as opposed to the memories."

"Same here," Rain said, accepting one of the glasses and clinking it together with Kara's. "To our amazing victory and your promotion. Cheers"

"Here, here," she took a sip. "So, how have things been here on the new home front?"

"Honestly, and I hesitate to say this just because I might jinx it, they've been pretty incredible given the circumstances in which we consistently live. This place runs like clockwork, the clones, though not specifically happy with their situation, are adapting, and I've eaten actual food for possibly the first time in my life."

Kara took in a deep breath and let all of that sink in, knowing she felt the same way.

"It's weird isn't," she remarked to the dark haired clone. "Feeling this way, I mean."

Rain chuckled, "Yeah, I think they call it 'happy', but I can't be sure."

Thrace responded with a whole hearted laugh, "So... You have something else to be happy about as long as nothing's changed since I left for the Whitehouse. You ready to spill about you and tall, dark and deadly?"

"Yep, let's take a seat on the fancy couch you now own."

They made their way over to the sitting area and collapsed on a couch.

"So, you kissed?"

"Yeah, like a lot."

"And?" Kara asked with a mischievous smirk.

"Aaannnnd... It's amazing," Rain blushed. "It's one of the most incredible feelings I've ever experienced. Granted, I've only actually been experiencing feelings in general for a few months, but these... they're really good."

Kara noticed a hesitance in her speech, "I get the idea there's supposed to be a 'but' somewhere in there. Which really makes no sense, given that you're kissing a girl. That's usually a positive thing. Or, at least it is in my book."

"No, it's totally a positive thing; it's just that it's all completely new. Seriously, with all the crap those scientists put in my head, you'd think I'd have at least one relationship in there to have as a reference point. I mean, I can name all the state capitals, in alphabetical fucking order, but I have absolutely no idea what to do in bed with a woman."

"Ooo. Yeah, I can see how that might make things a little awkward. Does she know?"

"I think so," she nodded. "She mentioned something about me having a lot of firsts with her the other night. But just because she's sweet and understanding doesn't make it any less difficult on my end. Like, what if I'm completely terrible in bed?"

"Oh, you won't be terrible in bed," Thrace said nonchalantly. "They made you Latina; genetically you can't suck in bed."

"I'm going to try to ignore the fact that your last statement was thoughtless and borderline racist and simply take it as your way of reassuring me."

"It is. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about Valentine not getting her rocks off. It's pretty obvious she's in love with you. That can cover for a multitude of shortcomings."

Rain couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of Kara's blunt disposition, "Wow. I'm not sure you could suck more at anything as much as you suck at girl talk."

"Apparently you haven't seen me dance," she took another sip of bubbly. "But half the resistance army could probably attest to that being my suckiest skill."

"What? When the fuck did you dance? And, more importantly, why were you doing it in front of people?"

"Ugghhh. Last night. Apparently scoring the new digs also allotted me a brief moratorium in the social leper department and everybody wanted to celebrate with me. The worst part was Claire saw the whole thing and totally razzed me about it when I woke up this morning."

"Whoa, wait, when you woke up?" Rain sat up and leaned closer as if she weren't hearing things well enough. "Like in the same bed?"

"Yeah, but it's not like that," she said, then corrected herself. "Well, it's kind of like that. I mean, we didn't have sex, but we sort of made out before all of the drinking commenced."

"And you didn't open with that?!" the brunette punched her lightly in the arm. "How the hell do you let me go on and on about my bullshit insecurities and not so much as mention the fact that you sucked face with someone who, I had simply assumed, was going to kill you when you got back?"

"It's not that big a deal," she tried to brush it off, but didn't believe her own tone.

"Whatever, this is a bigger deal than you making Agent status. That only required nearly dying in a laser tube. Kissing Claire meant you had to do something alluring or, at the very least, endearing. That's so much harder for you."

"I'm going to take that as your attempt at humor and getting me back for my previous comments."

"Yeah, pretty much, now dish! What happened?"

"I'm not really sure," she smiled, but furrowed her brow as if deep in thought. "We were arguing with each other, which I totally expected to happen, but then it got really heated and all of a sudden I basically demanded that we kiss."

"And she just went with it?"

"Well, she did after she pushed me up against a wall and called me a suicidal coward," she chuckled.

"Are you serious?" Rain couldn't believe it; the story was getting better and better.

"To her credit, I had just brought up that dead girl with the bargain brand name."

"God, you're attempts at flirting are worse than mine!" Rain's eyes were the size of saucers and her hand was over her mouth. "I'm surprised she didn't punch you."

"I think that may have been the other response she had in mind at the time."

"So, how was it?"

Rain was starting to get concerned that if she asked any more questions the smile on Kara's face would grow so wide that it would actually reach her ears.

"It was hot," she admitted. "Like, really hot."

"So is that it? Was it just a hot kiss or do you think it's going to happen again?"

"I don't know for sure," she paused for a moment trying to figure out if she said that out of fear or worry, then shook the insecurities out of her head. "But I'm certainly going to try."

Rain nodded in understanding, "So this is who we've turned into; two pathetically love struck school girls trying to figure out women during the end of the world?"

"I'm fairly certain that women have been an enigma since the beginning of time. The only difference between now and then is that now we all come with Umbrella baggage."

"Well," the brunette raised her glass for a toast. "Here's to us trying to date and save the world at the same time."

"Here, here," Kara moved her glass in for the clink.

* * *

"Do you get women?" Claire asked, sipping her drink.

Jill choked on her own drink as she tried to understand the implications of what Claire was asking her.

"Is that your way of asking if I get around?"

"No, I mean, like romantically. Do you understand them outside of just a platonic setting?"

"Oh," Jill nodded in understanding, then tried to figure out how to answer the question. "Well, it's kind of complicated. I didn't really have a whole lot of relationships before the Apocalypse and then Umbrella got a hold of me and things got really weird regarding the 'romantic' side of my life. So, I guess the short answer is no."

"That wasn't really a short answer, but we'll go with it for now," Claire shook her head at the other woman. "Do you think that two really, really passionate people that argue a lot could possibly make a relationship work, or do you think that it should just be about sex so that they don't inevitably end up killing each other?"

"Did you sleep with Thrace?!" Jill turned more in her seat to better experience the gossip.

"No! Jesus, all we did was kiss," Clair sounded shocked at the accusation. "But we kissed after a very intense argument that ended with me slamming her against the wall. I feel like if we ever made it to the point where we have sex, concussions may be involved."

"Do you think it's possible the animosity you both feel for each other stems from each of your individual insecurities? That maybe if you dealt with those, you'd be more successful in dealing with others in general?"

"Well I do now!" Claire stated unhappily as the concept washed over her. What if it was true? What if, in order to be in a healthy relationship, a person needed to already be mentally stable? They were living in the Apocalypse, how possible could that be for anyone.

"Claire, I know this may not be something you want to hear," Jill pressed forward, "but both you and Kara have been through a lot in your lives. Maybe you need to heal separately before you can be together."

The redhead's face fell as she contemplated postponing this one thing that had made her heart flutter in longer than she could remember. Then she thought of something else.

"Hey, wait a minute. What about you and Ocampo?" she accused. "You're pretty much head over heels for that girl and you told me you had some girl stuff to discuss. Should we start dissecting your mutual compatibility, given the traumatizing circumstances under which you both met?"

Jill tried to figure out a way to respond that could possibly refute Claire's claims but eventually came up short.

"Yeah, I'd rather not look too deeply into that."

"Well, speaking of which, how are things developing on that front? Let's get the focus off of me for a minute."

"They're actually going really well," Jill focused her eyes in on her drink and tried to contain the smile that wanted to erupt on her face. It just seemed wrong to show too much happiness to Claire, given their past.

"You guys sleeping together yet?" Claire deadpanned.

"No... I mean... Yes... We sleep together, but it's actually just sleeping. And kissing," she corrected herself. "A lot of kissing."

A slight hint of sexual frustration slipped through with her last sentence and the redhead picked up on it.

"Kissing's good," she nodded. "But I get the impression that you might want a little more than that."

"No, I'm fine with just kissing," Jill said. She didn't even sound convincing to herself.

"Uh-huh," Claire replied sarcastically.

"We're going slow," she remarked defensively. "Really we just kind of fell into this in the past few days, it's not like it's that weird."

"Please," Claire laughed. "You two have been dancing around it ever since you stepped foot off of that rescue chopper. Nearly half the army has bets on when you guys are going to seal the deal," she paused for a minute and thought. "I've actually got dibs on the end of next week. It'd be great for me if you could speed things along. It's not like you're in high school and she's trying to keep a tight grip on her purity ring."

"No, but it is like she's a virgin and she's pretty much never done anything before and we're both a little nervous about crossing that bridge," Jill's anxiety showed through in the statement. "I've already done enough in the past to hurt her. I don't want to mess this up with something I can actually control."

"Wow, you actually care about her, don't you?"

The surprise in Claire's tone cut Jill deep. She answered without a hint of anger, and wide range of humility and understanding.

"I know that it must be difficult for you to imagine me caring about anyone, I truly do, but please try to understand that I wasn't always the monster you remember. I do care deeply about her. I care about a lot of people," she finally forced their eyes to meet. "Including you. I was ecstatic when you asked me to spend time with you tonight. At the idea that someday, you might actually see me as a friend."

Claire didn't know what to say at first. The thing was she actually did believe everything Jill was saying. It also made her uncomfortable given both their past and Claire's complete inability to act like a human being when under positive scrutiny. So, of course, she brushed it off with a joke, which actually made Jill feel better as well.

"Jesus, if you're going to be this dramatic we absolutely will not be friends. I think I preferred you when you were evil and homicidal."

They both laughed it all off and Claire lit up a smoke before continuing.

"You're ok, Jill," she exhaled. "And maybe in time you and I will actually be alright. So, take it one day at a time and don't ever get that mushy on me again, ok?"

"Will do," Jill said with a smile.

"Good, now tell me," Claire continued. "What do we need to do to ensure I win that bet?"

***Author's Note: I've obviously taken some liberties with the cast here. So just to keep my ass safe from any kind of copyright infringement, I'll go ahead and say that no money is being made off of this piece of fiction and no harm intended on the part of Marvel, Lost Girl or Firefly owners.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_Interview:_

_Tony Stark - Director of Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_9:12 am_

"Start at the beginning, Mr. Stark," Alice requested in within the confines of the interrogation room.

"Well, that's a little difficult now, isn't it," he asserted. "Obviously I've deduced that something is very wrong with the situation down here, given my limited knowledge of exactly who and what you all represent, but I am slowly starting to become clear on who and what I probably am."

"And what is that?" Claire asked, assuming she already knew the answer.

"A clone," he let his mouth taste the starkness of the statement and silence lingered briefly. "Am I right?"

"We actually can't answer that for you, Mr. Stark," Alice admitted. "We have records on each and every resident present in the facility but there is no file for you other than the taciturn medical and service records that you, yourself had access to. It says nothing about clone status. Why do you think that you are a clone?"

"Because I know the rest of the residents are," he answers before taking a sip of water.

"And how do you know that?" Claire followed up, accusingly.

"I think we all know the answer to that question," he asserted. "The more interesting inquiry is why you need me to spell it out for you. Some kind of psychological test? A further mindfuck designed to make me paranoid? Or possibly that you just can't read but, whatever the case, I'll go ahead and spill the beans here so that we can all get on with our day. I know the rest of the crew are clones because I made them."

"And why do you believe that makes you a clone?" Alice asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I want to believe it," he looks directly into her eyes. "Because otherwise it would mean I'm a monster."

* * *

_Interview:_

_Dr. Lauren Lewis - Head Physician of Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_9:36 am_

"I'm not saying anything to you people until I get some answers about exactly what's going on here," the blonde doctor demanded.

"Well that's going to be interesting, given we're in charge here and you're not," Agent Thrace remarked in her trademark sarcastic fashion.

"I don't care who's in charge here, this is still America; I still have rights!" she bit back.

"Ooo," Thrace winced. "You want to handle this one, Valentine?"

Jill nodded, taking a deep breath before she spoke, "Dr. Lewis, there's a great deal you don't know about what's going on above the surface. And, in all honesty, we believe there's a lot you may not know about what's going on below the surface either."

"Look, I'm not one of these worker clones; I'm a human source, farmed for certain desirable genetic features," she rolled her eyes briefly. "I'm privy to a higher level of information than you may think."

"How long have you been serving down here, Dr. Lewis?" Jill asked, sadly.

"I'm well into the first six months of a one year service agreement that I can only assume would have been extended due to the sensitivity of the recent Raccoon City epidemic."

Jill focused her eyes on the floor, trying to figure out a way to gently break the news to the ill-informed doctor. Kara caught her hesitance and took up the reins. She knew what it was like to have your reality shattered in a manner of seconds, and the best way to do it was quick; like ripping off a Band-Aid.

"The Raccoon City Epidemic went global nearly ten years ago. It wasn't a recent event," her tone was cold and clinical. "You and many of the others probably think it was because you were just 'created' a few months ago. Taking into account the length of time you claim to remember, I'd say that you've been 'recycled' quite a few times since the initial outbreak."

The doctor's brown eyes burned into her interrogator with open disdain.

"What the hell do you mean, 'recycled'?"

* * *

_Interview:_

_Tony Stark - Director of Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_9:42 am_

"Recycling is the process by which the clones, for lack of a more PC term, stay 'fresh'," Stark explained. "What we found after the Raccoon City epidemic was that prolonged existence underground, even with the enhancements of the Hive, caused a depressive state that even some of the strongest minds weren't apt to handle after such an immediate tragedy. People started committing suicide or escaping and, no doubt, meeting some kind of horrible demise on the outside. After that I made the executive decision, with the help of our Dr. Thrace, to implement the recycling process."

"And what did that entail?" Claire asked, wanting to vomit.

"The existing residents were given a cocktail that induced sleep first and then death," Stark finally broke eye contact, it was the first time his confidence had faltered. "Dr. Thrace and I reconstructed every single one of them down the greatest detail we could manage and set them up with not only their 'fresher' memories of just entering their contract with the Hive, but also a memory chip that would gather all data learned from their newest evolution so that their intelligence would continue to grow as the years went by. It's tragically poetic that we had to keep the 'Epidemic' scenario so that none of them would try to leave and be killed on the outside, yet give it more than a year and the pain of it all would kill them on the inside."

"Systematic mass murder; occurring every year," Alice's jaw was tight with rage and disgust. "That's some kind of anniversary."

"I know this may be hard for you to understand, but it's far more humane than allowing a person wither and die from the inside, day in and day out," he defended himself.

"More humane for you perhaps," Claire fired back. "I take it Dr. Thrace faltered somewhere down the line."

His face fell for the second time and he focused on the corner of the table.

"That she did," Stark conceded.

* * *

_Interview:_

_Kara Thrace - Lead Clone Specialist of Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_11:02 am_

"How long have you been working in the hive Dr. Thrace?" Agent Thrace asked her clone.

"Um, I'd say about six months now, give or take a few days," She answered. "We all have; with the exception of Director Stark. We were on the last annual rotation before the tragedy at Raccoon City."

"And how much do you understand about the situation with the clones?" the blonde continued the line of questioning.

She shook her head, unhappy to have to answer the question. "I understand how horrible this looks, I really do. It's just that the surface isn't safe yet and we can't leave from here until it is. Things happen. We're not running a cupcake factory down here, sometimes people die and we need them to keep the place going. And whether that's ethical or not, it's the choice we've made to stay alive."

As Thrace took notes, Jill took the interrogation in a different direction.

"What is the nature of your relationship with the Head of Security here?"

"Excuse me? I don't see how that's any of your business," she said, her brow furrowing in anger.

"It's not," Agent Thrace tried to intercept, but was ignored.

"It's just that you two seem pretty close," Jill continued. "That's quite a bond to have formed in such a short period of time; you two must be very attracted to each other."

Both Thrace models mouths dropped to the floor in shock before the blonde Agent scrambled to find her words.

"Agent Valentine, I think it's important that we keep to the scheduled interrogation questions."

"Oh, I'm sure we could speed it up a bit to leave room for peripheral questions," Jill stated to Agent Thrace and then turned her attention to the doctor. "I believe the next item on the docket is telling her she's a clone. You're a clone. There, that was simple."

"I am not a clone," the doctor stood, slamming her hands on the table between them. "My DNA was used throughout the hive for some of the sub sequential workers and obviously, given her appearance," she nodded to Agent Thrace, "the strain coding was sent to other facilities, but I am the original. I even requested testing from Dr. Lewis to confirm it. So, you can take your overprotective, jealous girlfriend act and shove it up your ass. You're not going to hurt me by making me believe I'm a clone."

It was then that Jill softened, swallowing her insecurities in favor of giving in to her sense of compassion. When she couldn't think of any better way to break the news she simply let her next sentence drop like the ton of bricks it actually was.

"Can you tell us what year it is, Dr. Thrace?"

* * *

_Interview:_

_Sheva Alomar - Botanist and Nutritionist to Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_1.33 pm_

"2005. Not that time matters, with no sun down here."

* * *

_Interview:_

_Malcolm Reynolds - Head Mechanic to Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_2:55 pm_

"It was 2005 last time I checked."

* * *

_Interview:_

_Dr. Lauren Lewis - Head Physician of Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_9:55 am_

"The year is 2005 and for the last time no we don't have any kind of clone testing, we just told that because she kept obsessing about it and needed closure."

* * *

_Interview:_

_Rain Ocampo - Head of Security to Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_4:20 pm_

"It's 2005. Why don't you get a fucking calendar?"

* * *

_Interview:_

_Tony Stark - Director of Hive 131_

_January 12, 2013_

_10:41 am_

"Do you know what year it is, Mr. Stark?" Alice asked.

"You know that's the one question I've actually wanted to ask you since you got here," He smiled tragically; not knowing whether he wished his coming answer would be right or wrong. "I know what the rest of the people here are going to say. They all believe it's 2005. Even Dr. Thrace. After a few years down here, she couldn't handle it either. She was brave enough to tell me, though, and not just leave without saying goodbye. She asked me to give her the injection just like all the rest of the clones and she asked that I wipe her memory completely clean of everything her part in the recycling process. I agreed, asking only one thing of her before she lay down to sleep."

"And what did you ask?"

"That I be able leave her clone with enough knowledge to do the same for me, should I ever ask."

"And what did she say?"

"She agreed," he seemed to physically bring his guard back up after that last sentence and explained himself further. "We both knew that if there was any actual way of beating this thing that it would be through our efforts. And after selling large portions of our souls to get here, we were damn sure going to fight to end it. But I guess none of that answers your initial question, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Alice waited patiently.

"Right," he took a deep breath and sat up straight before finally spitting it out. "You'll have to forgive me, I may be off by a few days, if you consider that I've literally had to keep it straight in my mind after resetting the computers every year but if I'm right, it should be January 16th 2009."

Both Agents looked to each other and then back to the Director. It was Claire who broke the news in her ever-so judgmental way.

"Congratulations Mr. Stark. You're not a monster; you're just the clone of one. The date is January 12th, 2013. And the world, as you know it, is now gone."

* * *

The late lunch that had been provided for each of the members of the usurped Hive leadership was an exercise in veiled hostility for nearly everyone involved. They were all asked to congregate at the same table given the security precautions imposed upon them by the Resistance Army. However, no one among them was more hated than their fearless leader.

Mal was the first to break the silence.

"If there weren't guns at the ready to blow my head off right now, I'd rip your heart out with the dull edge of this spoon," he aimed his threat at Stark. "But, considering all I have to do to come back is have all my atoms mashed up in a Petri dish, maybe it's not such a bad fucking idea."

"You'd have to get in line," interjected Rain, Head of Security.

"I assure you, after everything I've heard about the world at large and our part in it, oblivion isn't looking like such a bad option," Stark commented. "To think I actually believed we were fighting the Russians... again."

"Oh, it's not fair to place all of the blame on our tyrannical director," Dr. Lewis remarked. "Dr. Thrace had her overrated scientific skills put to very good use in this little ruse for quite some time."

"Oh and you are just soooo innocent right?" Dr. Thrace argued. "What with all of your 'Oh no, Kara, the test is conclusive. You're scientifically quantifiable as %100 human."

"Guys stop," Sheva speared at her lettuce while mediating lethargically. "Hating each other isn't going to solve anything. We're in bad situation; we need to try to make the best out of it."

"Leave it to the tree hugger to try to make peace in a time of absolutely justified hatred," Mal crunched into his apple before it was swiped from his hand.

"Give me that," she stole the fruit. "You don't get to eat what I grow if you're going to mock my progressive attitude."

They all sat in silence for a few seconds, somewhat broke and defeated. It was Tony who finally spoke up again.

"You know, she's right," he asserted.

"About what? Being a Hippy?" Mal asked.

"No, about being progressive," he answered, finally lifting his face to address all of them. "I assume they told you all the same thing they told me. That Umbrella is the enemy. That we've been producing dangerous chemical and biological weapons for them this whole time in an effort to wipe out the human race, thinking we were doing the exact opposite. Every single video feed we've seen was created within their facilities and the world we know it is basically destroyed. Fighting each other isn't going to solve anything for anyone."

"Of course it's not," Dr. Lewis interjected so convincingly that, for a moment, he actually believed she might be on his side. "I mean, after hearing the exciting jingle that is 'Recycle, reduce, reuse' the obvious answer to all of our problems is ritualistic murder and scientific rebirth."

"Would you rather have killed yourself every few years?" Stark slammed his hands on the table, inviting the attention of several of the guards. "Because I assure you it's not pleasant!"

"At least it would have been our choice!" Even Sheva jumped on the side of the mob at this point.

"It was your choice, Sheva," he calmed both his voice and his physical demeanor in a way that did not match the malicious words that were about to exit his lips. "One year, two months and five days in you hung yourself from a tree branch in the garden. The video cameras showed that the fall wasn't steep enough to break your neck so you strangled for nearly twenty minutes before your body finally gave out completely."

Her face was unmistakably disturbed but she remained silence.

"And you, Mal," Stark moved his attention to the only other male at the table. "One year, six months a two days. You had a drink with me and told me that your greatest regret in life was not telling some prostitute on the surface that you loved her before you took on this assignment. You left her behind and had no idea if she was alive or dead. Then you put the barrel of a shotgun in your mouth and splattered your brains out all over your bedroom."

Mal broke his gaze and stared at his plate as soon as the word 'prostitute' started to hang in the air, but it still didn't stop Stark.

"Then there's you, Doc," he said pointedly to Lauren.

"Don't," she warned flatly but he continued.

"Oh no! You don't get to blame me and not know the truth," he moved to sit right next to her and lowered his voice only slightly. "Where do you think I got the recipe for the cocktail, huh? They don't teach you how to make a Kevorkian Cosmo on Sex and the City, dear. I learned from the best."

With both hands she grabbed him by his collar and snarled in his face, "But I didn't tell you to use it on other people! Furthermore I didn't give you permission to bring me back! You've been playing God with all of us and you do not get to pass your judgment when all we were looking for was a fucking end."

She shoved him to the ground and the guards finally came over to settle the small crowd.

"Ma'am, you're going to have to keep your hands to yourself," they warned.

"Believe me, there's nothing I'd rather do more right now," she said, her eyes still boring into Stark before standing and looking to the guards. "Take me to wherever the hell I'm supposed to be next. I'm done eating for the day."

* * *

The monitor concentrated on the silent group of clones as they all tried to choke down their meal right along with all of the other information they'd digested that morning. After a few more seconds of silence Alice pressed a button on her remote and shut off the feed.

"And that's just the leadership around here," she said to her Agents. "We've got around twenty more superfluous clones to interview and break the news to."

"And none of them are going to be very happy about what they hear," Thrace remarked as she chewed dedicatedly on her pen.

"Which means integration of our troops into the hive is not going to be a quick process," Alice continued. "This has to be handled somewhat delicately given the current political climate of the soldiers at home base. A lot of mixed feelings still remain regarding clones. If we bring in the wrong people, it could turn into an all-out war inside these walls."

"It's almost an all-out war anyway back at the White House as is," Claire mentioned, her eyes darting briefly toward the one clone in the room.

"So, what's our strategy here?" Jill asked. "I'm not sure if separating out clones from humans is a very good idea. Putting even more physical distance between them may push the emotional gap even farther."

"I agree," stated Dr. Helena Harper as she stood from her seat to address the group.

She was one of the few psychologists left; possibly in the world. And the beautiful brunette was tasked with undertaking one of the most complicated yet simple societal issues that has plagued the human race since the dawn of man: how to make different people not want to kill each other.

"The way I see it, we have three options. The first being to bring people over as dictated by need, seniority or whatever other objective logistical measure you might see fit. It would be the fairest option but could cause problems."

"As well as I'm acquainted with them, I've never been a fan of unpredictable situations," Alice replied. "What else you got?"

"Well, we could also bring groups of the clones in, along with sympathizers to set up a baseline before bringing in the rougher personality types," Harper suggested.

"That idea doesn't sound too bad," Kara noted. "If we can get more 'natural' born humans to contribute to the positive living environment it may make a stronger case against all of the bigotry that's been going on."

"Exactly," Helena agreed. "Which brings me to a third option."

She hesitated, not knowing if what she was about to say would be well received. Taking a breath she continued.

"There is an underlying issue here that doesn't seem to be getting addressed nor resolved. Now, I understand when we were all in the White House, wondering when some sort of Umbrella-engineered Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man was going to pull the roof off, we had no choice but to focus on the barest necessities of survival."

She tried to look everyone in the eyes to gauge their reactions and was not surprised to see worry growing on their faces. Yet, she pressed on.

"We're not there anymore. Not after gaining this place," she continued. "The Hive offers us a chance to re-establish society beyond Neanderthals shooting guns during the day and kicking the shit out of each other at night."

"What exactly are you suggesting, Dr. Harper?" Alice asked with mild trepidation.

"I'm a birth-born human," she said with conviction, "and I have seen far too much trauma dealt out to the clones. I have listened to their stories of assault, rape and murder. I have had them tell me that they thought they were going to be killed by one of their own kind and it happened."

Again she looked at all of their faces to push her point home, "This must end. Before we took this place, our only option was to throw the psychopaths and the sociopaths out into the wilderness to be hunted down like dogs. We don't have to do that anymore. They have a home, it's just not here."

"You're saying that we treat the White House as some kind of prison?" Kara asked, baffled at the idea that this idea would be coming from a non-clone.

"I'm saying that it would be their choice whether they wished to reside here or there. And that that choice would be contingent upon their capability to not act like a barbarian."

Jill's gut wrenched at the idea that any of the horrors mentioned by the doctor could ever happen to Rain at the hands of a monster with a human face. Yet she absolutely knew it was possible. She'd lived it. The dark feeling that settled over her body is what caused her to speak out next.

"It's not a bad idea," she said, her eyes still focused on the table as her consciousness burrowed through the darkest recesses of her mind.

"Jill," Alice admonished her gently.

"She's right," Claire agreed. She too had a stake in the life of a clone that was very important to her. "I've watched them act like animals just because they can. We couldn't lose the majority to protect the minority, so we fought the small battles where we could, but lost the war overall. This is the time to fight back and win."

"No!"

The fact that it was Kara's voice that interrupted them was shocking to nearly everyone in the room. Everyone except Claire.

"No," she continued. "The fight is against Umbrella, the fight is against the monsters, the fight is for the entire world not one little fucking sliver of it."

"Yes, but there's not going to be anyone to fight umbrella if we end up killing each other, and that's exactly what's going to happen if we don't set a moral precedent for the treatment of the clones," Helena elaborated. "The fighting will escalate. It's already gone unchecked for far too long."

As much as Kara wanted to, she couldn't argue with that kind of logic. Helena was right.

Alice, noticing the tension in the room, decided to adjourn the meeting for now.

"You've given us a lot to think about Dr. Harper," she stated with a small smile. "I think we'll call it a day for now and re-adjourn tomorrow after we've all had time to weigh the options. I also need to report back to the rest of the crew at the White House. Thank you. Let's call it a day, everyone."

They all left with somewhat solemn expressions; knowing that no decision they made would be an easy one.

* * *

Rain checked her assault rifle as she waited on the inside of the train for her surface level patrol partner to arrive. She was surprised when Jill Valentine walked through the door in full tactical gear.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Rain asked.

"What?" Jill looked confused as she took a seat across from the girl. "You not happy to see me?"

"No, it's just that I was expecting Rogers to be on the watch with me," Rain explained "He's about seventeen, kinda pudgy, not so great with personal hygiene practices. Seeing you is a fairly large departure from that."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Jill replied as the train doors closed and they started their ascent to the surface.

Upon exiting the vehicle, Rain and Jill relieved the two guards coming off the day watch. With a couple of salutes and an assurance that things were all quiet on the western front, they took over and started their initial sweep. Though the exterior of the mall had now been fortified with steel plates, Alice still felt it necessary to keep 24 hour patrols up there just in case. Most of the time it was relegated to the lower ranks, which meant Jill's presence was most likely voluntary.

"So, I heard you had a long hard day trying to figure out how we can all live together without killing each other," Rain stated as they walked through the halls. "Can't imagine they'd ask you to take the night watch after that."

One side of Jill's mouth raised in a smirk, "I may have asked to take on a little extra work. Just to keep busy you know. I certainly didn't make the choice to work all day and night just so I could spend a little time with you. That would be semi stalker-ish."

"Actually, I'd say it's full-blown stalker-ish…" Rain corrected and paused, letting Jill squirm, before she gave her a soft body check with her shoulder. "…If I weren't so excited about the fact that I get to be around you for the next 12 hours."

The Agent chuckled and then grabbed the brunette and pulled her around for a soft but passionate kiss. She pulled away with a sigh.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get this first sweep over with and then we can revisit that particular conversation."

As they walked throughout the mall they talked about what was going on within the hive: what would happen with the clones, what would happen with integration. The conversation flowed smoothly until they finally reached the bedding portion of the home goods store. Normally this was the part where the guards would split up and one would take the first hour's watch and one would sleep before they both switched off.

Both women pretty much knew that wasn't going to happen given that they were together and there was a bed present. But they tried.

"So, I guess I'll let you take the first watch and I'll try to get some rest in this big, empty, display bed," Jill suggested, taking off her gun.

"Oh really?" Rain countered. "How default to the first bed time?"

"Well, I've been in interviews all day and you, I assume, have been spending most of your time lounging around hung-over from your escapades with Kara last night," Jill argued. "Wouldn't you agree I'm more deserving?"

Rain took off her own rifle and moved in to Jill's space, "Actually, I think we can work on a compromise."

"Oh yeah?" The Agent smiled, pulling her even closer.

"Yeah," the brunette whispered as she moved in for the kill.

The kisses started off slow as their bodies moved toward the bed and were interrupted by giggles as they collapsed onto the soft surface.

"Does this take you back to high school," Jill asked, "making out in a mall?"

"Not from any of the memories I was outfitted with," Rain answered with a smirk.

"Oh my God!" Jill pulled back and put her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Jill, shut up and keep kissing me," Rain ordered as she pushed the other woman back down on the bed and crushed both their lips and their upper bodies together.

The intensity of their kisses started with a slow build so intoxicating that neither one of them realized that the rest of their body was starting to follow suit. Rain braced herself a bit more on her arms and moved her lower body over just a bit so that one of her legs made its way between those of her conquest. Jill exhaled sharply and clutched at the clone's back as the other woman pulled up just enough to watch her face.

As Rain applied more pressure Jill's eyes shot open and locked with her own. The connection between them was electric. Rain was taking it all in and it was only serving to further excite her. Jill's brow was furrowed and her lips were slightly parted as her breathing became labored. The clone continued her ministrations with a gentle rocking and moved back in to the Agent's lips.

Jill emitted a soft growl and moved one hand up to Rain's head to remove band holding her ponytail in place. As she raked her hands through the dark locks the clone started to whimper and the sound was so arousing, Jill's control started to slip and her main goal became increasing the intensity. So, she dragged one of her hands down Rain's back and down to her thigh as she raised her own leg to allow the girl more friction. It was then that the whimpers turned into full blown moans and, a while later, lips separated so that foreheads could meet.

"Are you ok?" Jill asked, not sure if she'd gone too far.

"Yeah, it's just..." Rain tried to both breathe and figure out how to describe what she was feeling. "It's so intense. Or... it keeps getting more intense. Even the kissing. Like the closer we get to each other the more it feels like I'm going to explode from the inside."

It was all Jill could do not to flip the girl over and take her all the way to that explosion. Instead she held herself back and took a deep breath, saying "in my experience that's usually a good thing."

Rain smiled back and then regarded her seriously; moving her hand down to caress her face.

"I know that the answer to this can't possibly be 'no' but I have to ask the question anyway," the clone said, her voice taking on an air of sadness. "Do I remind you a lot of her?"

They both knew which 'her' she was referring to; the Seventeen model that Jill had been with when she was under the control of Umbrella. The Agent eyes narrowed as pain gripped at her chest over her horrible past revisiting her even now. It meant that no matter how far they separated themselves from that Russian facility, the pain would still be there.

"I'm sorry," Rain said as soon as she saw the troubled expression wash over Jill's face. "I shouldn't have asked you that. The last thing I want to do right now is to cause you pain. This time it was me who wasn't thinking."

"No, hey," Jill moved so that their position was somewhat less sexual and more comforting, with both women on their sides. "You don't ever have to apologize to me for wanting to know the truth."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't have to suffer because I'm having a brief moment of insecurity," Rain shook her head.

"Insecurity?" Jill asked, genuinely confused. She'd thought that the question came more from a sense of bodily fear than a place of insecurity. "What do you mean?"

Rain put a hand over her face for a moment, embarrassed at her answer, "I just, I know you must have had really strong feelings for her, especially since you had that bug on your chest and still felt something. I guess that this truly narcissistic and terrible part of me wonders if I add up to what you remember feeling for her."

Jill smiled and tried hard to stifle a laugh, which earned her a sneer and a soft punch on the shoulder for Rain.

"It's not funny," the clone insisted, though a smile of her own was starting to form. "I tell you about my innermost thoughts and you mock me? I think I will take the first patrol."

Though she moved physically to prove her point, Jill knew that it was nothing more than comedic posturing and pulled her back down on the bed before climbing on top of the clone and her wrists hostage with her hands.

"Oh no, I took this shift to spend time with you and tonight I'm getting what I want."

As the words exited Jill's mouth, both women started to exhibit a darkness in their stare. Maybe it was because of their tumultuous past they were able to elicit such intense feelings within each other. Maybe it was that everyone's future was so unstable and it made moments like this so magnified. They were big and important... So pure and beautiful that it actually made it easy to live in them and be present.

And as good as it felt, the past had been brought up and Jill had to address it.

"I'm not sure if this is going to make sense, or if you're even going to believe me but I'm going to try just lay it all out there," Jill started to explain, "I was laughing because the idea that you're feeling insecure with me, rather than feeling afraid, kind of makes me happy."

"You're obviously more twisted than I imagined," Rain joked. "Now quit stalling and answer my question."

Jill rolled her eyes and continued.

"Obviously you two have the same physical features, and I wasn't lying to you in that submarine when I said that the Seventeen models always turned out a bit feisty. I think there's something in your genes that makes impossible for any of you to be anything less than..." she searched for the right word, "audacious."

The agent eased her hands off of the clone's wrists. She put one between the bed and her back and the other she used to stroke a soft cheek.

"You were both beautiful, brave, smart and kind," her eyes combed the expanse of Rain's face as Jill spoke. "But you have many differences too and, past that, you don't remind me of her because that would be impossible."

Rain looked at her curiously and swept the bangs from Jill's eyes, "How is that possible?"

Jill shook her head sadly, "Because I wasn't the same. The thoughts I had about her; the things I did to her... that wasn't me. You, more than anyone else, have helped me to see that. My feelings when I was with her were dark and scary. My feelings for you aren't like that. They're bright like the stars and loving," she said the last part without thinking and tried to regroup as quickly as possible in hopes maybe could distract the girl from what she said. "The point is I wasn't me when I was with her and with you, I feel more like me than I have since before Umbrella got a hold of me. Maybe since even before the outbreak."

Rain was silent for a while as she allowed Jill to stew and wonder if she said too much.

"Wow, those are a lot of really intense feelings you have there," she went in for the kill and watched Jill squirm.

"Yeah, sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It's a lot to spring on you so soon."

"Makes you feel a little insecure letting your feelings out like that, huh?" Rain smirked.

"Whether it does or not it was inappropriate and I shouldn't have..." Jill stopped as it started to dawn on her that Rain was messing with her. "You little shit!"

She took out her retribution by tickling her captor until they both collapsed with laughter. Once it stopped and they fell back into each other's gaze it wasn't long before their lips met once again. Jill's tongue pressed forward against Rain's lips just as her leg insinuated itself back between the clone's. Both were welcomed with one of those lovely moans that the Agent was becoming so very fond of.

As their bodies continued to move sensually against each other their hands also started to wander into new territory. When Rain moved to softly caress Jill's cotton covered breast it was the Agent's turn to become vocal. "Ahhh."

"Mmmm," Rain hummed. "I may not have a lot of experience in this matter but I definitely like the sounds you make when I touch you."

"Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing about you earlier," Jill admitted as she tried to keep her cool.

Rain squeezed softly until she could actually feel the Agent's nipple straining against the fabric between them, "Does this feel good?"

"You have no idea," Jill rasped. "Don't tell me you're insecure about this stuff too."

"Believe me, I'm getting less insecure about it with each passing minute," she gently tweaked the nipple resting beneath her fingers.

Jill growled into Rain's neck as she sucked softly. Her hand moved down to the clone's ass as she ground her leg harder and squeezed the taught muscle in her hand.

"Of all the things you have to be insecure about, this is absolutely not one of them," she said into the girl's neck. "You have no idea how much I want you right now."

"I want you too," Rain groaned as their bodies moved together more feverishly.

As Jill heard the words her control nearly broke, but as she pulled back to look into Rain's eyes, the trust she saw there tempered her heat. She slowed the intense movements of her lower body and kissed the girl slowly and softly.

The sweetness of Jill's actions served only to endear her more to the clone that could no longer deny the fact that she unequivocally falling in love with the woman on top of her. She too slowed calmed her movements and herself to meld into Jill. And as the Agent pulled back once again to look into her eyes, she knew she'd do anything the woman asked of her.

"I think we need to slow down a little," Jill said.

Except that. Rain was willing to do anything at the moment except break the connection.

"What?" she asked, aghast with confusion.

"Rain, if we don't slow down I don't think I'm going to be able to stop myself," she hated the way it sounded coming out of her mouth, but she knew it to be true. Jill had never wanted anyone so badly in her life but she didn't want to move this thing that was between them too fast.

Rain huffed, "Look, I get that you're pretty much this paragon of virtue when it comes to me but I do not want to be handled with kid gloves all of the time. I know that I'm a little unseasoned in this area of life, but I'm also in my thirties," she smiled, trying to make Jill feel more at ease. "I'm not some virginal teenager who's afraid of sex."

Jill chuckled, "I can assure you that with the way your body moves and responds to me, you've made that point abundantly clear. I just don't want to move this along too fast before you've really had a chance to think about it."

"You think I haven't thought about this?" Rain smiled devilishly. "It's been an exercise in futility trying to concentrate on anything else. Someone asked me how I was doing this morning and I answered with 'Jill'. Trust me, I've thought about this plenty and I absolutely want to move forward."

Jill was about to protest one last time and have some long, grandiose speech about how she wanted this to mean something and she couldn't lose Rain as a friend if this thing went wrong, but her body simply wouldn't let her mouth do anything but attach itself to the ones below her.

But as their actions became more intense they were ripped from their sensual bliss by the hiss of a radio and the voice of one of their mutual friends.

"Hey guys," Claire interrupted over the walkie. "I hate to break up this beautiful moment but I thought that maybe you two should know that I just walked into the security room and your little make out session is totally on the feed. I think the recruit responsible for monitoring the cameras is in the john, but he'll be back soon. You may wish to cease operation love fest."

"Jesus Christ!" Jill yelled as she grabbed at the radio. "Please tell me you're kidding?"

"I'm afraid not," Claire answered through her laughter. "Though, if you want this moment to be memorexed, I say forge ahead."

"Uggghhh," Jill groaned in frustration. "Ok, Claire, thanks for the warning. Over and out."

The agent fell over to the side and on her back as she let out an exasperated sigh. Rain turned to regard her.

"I could shoot the camera," she said with a smile.

Jill chuckled, "No, I think that maybe this is for the best. It'll give me more time to convince myself that this is truly what you want and it'll give you time to back out if that's what you need," she looked seriously into Rain's eyes. "Whatever happens, I just don't want to lose you in my life. This may cause that to happen if it doesn't work out."

Rains smile softened as she realized that Jill was just as insecure as she was on certain levels.

"I'd kiss you again right now if we weren't on Candid Camera," she said.

Jill thought about it for a second and said, "Screw it. They can have a little peek at one kiss."

And with that she leaned in to Rain one last time for the night.

Meanwhile, back at the Hive, Miller was looking on at the screen with a cup of coffee and an open mouth.

"Yep, it totally wasn't me," he said to himself. "That one's gay."

* * *

The loud pop of billiard balls rang through the Hive entertainment hall as smoke billowed above the table where they collided. Chris Redfield stood from his last shot and cursed at the moving orbs, as if it were their fault that they didn't reach the holes, before grabbing his cigar from the ashtray and taking another puff.

"Blaming the balls isn't going to win you any street cred, Redfield," Kara noted as she moved up to take her turn.

"Funny, I said something very similar to my sister when she told me she was into chicks," he replied, sipping a beer.

"Hardy-har-har," Thrace's voice dripped with sarcasm as she bent over and lined-up her shot. One quick thrust of the pool stick later and the cue ball was hurling rapidly toward the eight ball; sending it to its final destination in the corner pocket.

"So, is slapping balls around what got you all of your street cred, Thrace?" a third voice asked from behind her. One she knew very well.

"Well, Claire, what can I say," she held out the pool cue pointedly, "I guess I know how to handle a stick."

Claire simply rolled her eyes and sipped at her bourbon.

"Smooth, real smooth," Chris said as he passed by. "I'm gonna hang out at the bar for a bit and let you ladiesdo… whatever you do."

"Care to be humbled?" Kara offered up her stick to Claire.

"Have I told you I don't prefer you arrogant?" The redhead glared as she took the cue. "Guess I'll have to take you down a few pegs."

"Oooo burn," Thrace countered, grabbing her cigar. "Hope you got the game to back up that talk. I just creamed one Redfield; it'd seem like bullying to slaughter another one."

"Shut up and rack, clone," she shoved the triangle into Kara's chest with a cocky smile.

"Yes sir," the blonde obeyed sarcastically. "You wanna make this interesting?"

"What, like a bet?"

"Duh," Kara deadpanned.

"Well, what do you want?" Claire asked, chalking up the cue.

Kara finished up racking and moved closer to Claire, "How 'bout a kiss?"

"You think that scares me?" Claire asked, crossing her arms.

"Right here, in the rec-room," the blonde clarified.

The Agent's mouth dropped open for a second as she realized what Kara was getting at: she wanted to continue the physical aspect of their relationship without hiding it.

"You little shit," The redhead answered. "Fine, whatever, I'm gonna win anyway. I'm ten times as good as Chris. I can certainly beat you and, when I do, you're going to be my little pet for the night. Fetching me drinks, lighting my cigarettes... basically doing whatever I want."

"Why Mistress Claire, you play so rough," Thrace drawled as she grabbed another stick. "You're on. Pucker up, ginger."

Claire somehow scowled through a smile and without a moment's hesitation drew her cue back and struck the cue ball hard; scattering the balls across the table and knocking three in: two solid, one striped.

"I guess I'm solids," she gloated and moved to line up her next shot.

"And I guess I'm in trouble," Kara sighed.

The game moved on at a more competitive pace than the clone anticipated it would but at crunch time it all went downhill for her. It was that stupid nine ball that had been resting against the side pocket for the entire game. She'd been avoiding it up till now, but could not longer wait. She knew before the stick even connected that she missed the shot. The nine ball remained in a field of green; mocking her still.

"I gotta say, this isn't looking good for you, Thrace," Claire moved in close behind her to gaze at the same troublesome ball. "And I can't imagine how it's going to look to your peers when I command you to get up on the bar and show them your lack of dancing skills."

"You wouldn't," Kara asserted.

"Guess you'll find out in a few minutes," Claire warned. "That is unless you want to renegotiate your end of the bet."

The blonde looked back at the table and answered, "No, if you miss this shot I've got that nine ball right where I want it and I'm not missing out on the chance to get you to publicly do something that means you like me."

"Fine," Claire said as she threw up her hands and moved in for the kill. "Your funeral."

The shot was perfect. More than perfect, it was beautiful. The redhead opted for a slow and graceful journey for the eight ball to end up in the corner pocket. A closed lipped smile sealed it all as she sidled up to the loser of the game.

"Damn it!' Kara swore, hands on hips as she shook her head. "What'll your next drink be, Madame?"

Claire didn't say a word; instead she tossed the cue onto the table, reached up with both hands and pressed her lips against those of the blonde. She kept it going for only a few seconds; just long enough for a few hoots and hollers to erupt from a few of the other parties in the room. Then she stopped and took in the completely bewildered features of one Kara Thrace.

"What the hell was that?" The blonde asked, confused.

"That was me kissing you in public because I wanted to, not because of some stupid bet," she explained. "Now grab your shit, we're going back to my place."

And with that the blonde followed the first of many orders in store for her that night.

**Author's note: I promise I'm only leaving you hanging on Claire's plans untill the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one. Thank you so much to everyone who comments I get these done much faster when I've received feedback.


	13. Chapter 12

****A/N: This is where I start earning that mature rating you wonderful readers. Just a heads-up in case you were planning on catching up with this fic at work. Thank you all so much for you comments and please keep them coming. They basically make my day whenever I see them. Enjoy.**

Chapter 12

In the confines of her new room, Claire had Kara pour her a drink as the redhead sat down in the comfy reading chair that had been provided by the Hive.

"Here you go, Agent Redfield," Kara said sarcastically as she offered up the drink. "How else might I serve you this evening?"

"I've had a stressful day interrogating clones," Claire answered. "I think a shoulder rub may be in order."

Kara nodded and smirked as she answered with "As you wish."

Claire was right; she did need a shoulder rub. It was as if the weight of the world hung heavily around her neck. The blonde didn't mention it as she worked on the woman but she did put the knowledge in the back of her mind for safe keeping.

"That feels really good, Thrace," Claire moaned somewhat. "We may have misplaced your skill set. Do you think perhaps we should reconsider and have you set up some kind of massage parlor in the Hive?"

"Well, that depends," Kara continued. "Are you really so anxious for me to get my hands on other people?"

Claire smiled, "Probably not."

Then the redhead thought about it for a second and spoke again, "Are you?"

There was insecurity in Claire's voice that she hadn't heard before. Kara would normally have answered that question with some kind of joking reference to the members of the resistance that she wouldn't mind touching but she decided to be honest and put Claire at ease.

"My hands are kind of only interested in touching one person right now," she leaned and lowered her voice a bit. "She's brave, beautiful, incredibly stubborn," Claire giggled as she continued, "strong, caring... Sometimes mean, but I know it's just a front to shield herself from being hurt. And the more she pushes me away, the stronger my resolve becomes to show her that I'm not going anywhere."

Claire's brow furrowed as she took in the honesty of Kara's words. She had to hand it to her; the young agent was one of the most courageous people she'd ever met. It wasn't always easy to tell the truth about how you feel but, somehow, the blonde always managed to do so. Claire ended the session and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her around so that they were face to face.

"Do I hurt you?" she asked, somewhat afraid of the answer. "When I work so hard to push you away?"

Kara didn't want to answer that question, but she knew she had to.

"Sometimes," she nodded before moving in and crouching to meet Claire closer to eye level. "But I'm strong. Strong enough to take anything you can dish out."

"You don't know that," Claire's eyes misted over and she looked away."

"Yes I do," Kara moved her head so that she pulled their gazes back together.

Claire simply shook her head and let a hopeful smile build on her face, "You know this'll probably never end well, right?"

"Nothing ends well anymore, Claire," The blonde pulled Claire to her feet and gently guided their bodies together. "But I'm willing to bet everything leading up to the end is a lot better with someone to wake up to here and there."

"Are you under the impression that you'll be staying the night?" the redhead asked with an eyebrow quirk.

"Yes, I fucking am," Kara stated with a confident smirk before moving in for a kiss.

Claire always tasted like one of two things: cigarettes and whiskey, or cigarettes and coffee. She was an oddly acquired taste, but every time their lips met Kara simply couldn't get enough. It was as if she were endeared to the flavor simply because it was Claire's.

As their kisses heated up, clothes started to come off with the insistence of eager hands. And before they knew it, both women were moving forcefully against each other on the bed. At some point the physical ministrations turned more into a battle of wills, and Kara was having no part in losing it. Claire always tried to be in control and it looked like the bedroom was going to be no different. Asserting her dominance, the redhead straddled the blonde and tried to pin down her hands, but Kara bucked her off and regained control.

Claire smiled and narrowed her eyes as she jutted her face up to kiss the blonde, but Kara pulled back. It was completely communicated without words that things were going to happen on an equal playing field or they weren't going to happen at all. Once Claire finally accepted that and allowed the blonde to reach down and kiss her, her hands were released and their bodies melted into each other.

The clone was a surprising mixture of passion and patience with her movements. It was completely obvious that she was becoming more and more aroused with each kiss, touch and caress; as was the woman below her. Dragging her mouth across Claire's neck, chest and breasts she finally landed on an erect nipple that was all but begging to be sucked. As she wrapped her lips around it, her ears were met with a guttural 'fuck' from the mouth a few feet north. Hands raked through blonde hair as Claire simply allowed herself to be loved.

"Touch me," She demanded.

Her requested was granted within seconds as Kara's fingers snaked their way down her stomach and between her legs. The action was met with a sharp intake of breath as the redhead pulled the head back up to her lips and reached down to seek out the blonde's mound as well. She was met with warm, wet heat and they moaned into each other's mouths

As they moved with each other their eyes remained locked and breath became more ragged.

"I've wanted this for a long time," Kara whispered, causing them to slow. "Ever since the first time we met."

She was being so honest; Claire couldn't help doing the same.

"I have been dead inside for so long," she admitted. "You make me feel alive again."

Kara shook her head as she looked at her, wondering how she could feel so many things at one time. Then she crashed their lips together once more and slipped inside Claire; swallowing the moan that issued forth as a result of the action. Claire directed her own hand down to Kara's source of head and reciprocated in kind; both women couldn't help the carnal movements that followed after.

They pumped into each other hard while, at the same time, trying to work on each other's clits. And, though neither one of them mentioned it, there was something about the emotion involved that reminded them of all those heated moments when they were fighting each other. Perhaps they'd been doing this dance for far longer than they thought.

"I... I can't hold on for..." Claire eventually stated.

"It's ok," Kara breathed. "I can't either."

And soon after they were both falling over the edge together; breaking a wall inside of each other that had been so carefully built by the owners.

* * *

Alice sat in her office looking over statistics, predictions, maps and blueprints trying to figure out two things: One, what the next move of the collective Resistance would be. And two, how it all came down to her sitting at a desk instead of locking and loading up for a fight. She was becoming increasingly annoyed with the monotonous nonsense that seemed to be turning into her new lot in life. She was a woman of action. Even when she was working for Umbrella, Alice had her little side project that should have worked to stop all of this from happening.

Everything had changed when she made her decision to take responsibility of Becky. The girl couldn't grow up in a world as dangerous as the one created by the T-Virus, but she couldn't grow up in one of social chaos either. Walking the fine line of keeping her physically alive and emotionally sound was difficult and it meant making sacrifices that she honestly wouldn't have made before.

A soft knock on her office door pulled her from her musings as she ordered the person on the other side to come in.

Jill Valentine appeared and shut the door behind her before approaching the desk.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked.

"Yeah, have a seat," Alice instructed as she motioned toward one of the chairs across opposite from her desk.

"How's everything going?" Jill asked.

"Better than we'd expected, I think," Alice admitted as she pushed her notes away to the side. "It seems that everyone is settling in well so far. We just have to figure out what we're doing with the rest of population."

"Yeah, it's not exactly an easy decision to make," Jill agreed. "Are you leaning toward one option over the others?"

"I'm not sure," Alice shook her head. "It's hard to know if the decisions I'm making now are the best for all or the best for me and the people I care about."

"I understand," Jill smiled softly and nodded.

"I know you do. That's why I've asked you here."

Jill's brow furrowed and she crossed her arms in her seat, "I kind of figured we were going to have to talk about this at some point."

"Don't clam up as if you're under fire here, Jill. You're certainly not the only one that I have to have this conversation with," the leader shook her head as she thought about the list of offenders she had to check off.

"I'm not going to stop seeing her, Alice," Jill shook her head. "I lived too much of my damn life as an unfeeling robot, I'm not about to go back to that now just because it makes things less complicated for this fight we're mounting. A fight that may or may not work, I might add. Life is way too short these days."

"I'm not asking you to. Will you calm down and let me speak?"

Jill sighed, "Yeah, I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"I know that Rain is very special to you; I care about her a great deal as well," Alice began, "but the special attention you're giving her on a mission basis is being noticed. She's not an Agent, therefore anything you do to try to help her out is going to seem like favoritism and we are not living in an environment where that is looked at kindly anymore. When everyone was on the run, fighting for their lives, it was understood that people who were paired off would stick together above all. But we have an infrastructure now that hinges solely on the power that we are given by our subordinates, not by the power we actually have. If we start making exceptions, they'll start disobeying."

"I haven't done anything on a professional level for Rain that I wouldn't do for any other recruit," Jill argued.

"Really?" Alice quirked an eyebrow in defiance. "So, you didn't argue against her going on the Hive mission because of your feelings for her."

"She was a green recruit that very well may have died during that mission," Jill defended.

"Kara Thrace had never lead a mission before and you were ok with her walking into the lion's den," Alice replied.

"That's because I didn't have to fight for Thrace; Claire was all over it!"

"And believe me, she's going to get an earful from me as well, but right now we're talking about you. I know you took an extra watch shift to be with Rain last night. That means you're not getting as much sleep as you could be. Your mind and instincts aren't as sharp when sleep deprived."

"Really?" Jill asked as she swiftly grabbed a knife from her pocket and tossed it toward the wall behind Alice, hitting the dead center of an Umbrella emblem. "You were saying?"

Alice was starting to get angry, "And how many more times are you going to be able to do that if you're up all night fucking your little girlfriend in the mall, Jill?"

"We're not fucking!" Jill stood and slammed her hands on the desk. "Don't you sit there and trivialize my life when you don't have the slightest idea what's going on in it. You've been so busy with your head in those data pads, and your nose up Wesker's ass, that you don't have a clue what the rest of us are going through."

"Sit down," she expressed two words slowly through gritted teeth.

Jill shook her head and reluctantly did as she was told, her eyes finding a convenient notch on the floor to focus on.

"You have no idea how hard it is for me to work with that monster and sit at a desk crunching numbers while the rest of you risk your lives day in and day out to keep us all safe! We aren't survivors anymore, Jill, we're an army. Armies have to operate with rules or they break down. If it were up to me, I'd be taking on every God damn Hive myself, but I can't. It won't work! We all have to work together to defeat Umbrella."

"Well there's not going to be a whole lot of fight left in your troops if you take away everything they're fighting for," Jill stated.

"I'm not trying to take Rain away from you, Jill!" Alice spread out her arms to further illuminate her point, "I'm just asking you to stop acting like a love struck school girl and remember your responsibilities to this cause."

Jill looked at her soberly and said, "I have given more to this cause than you'll ever know. And so has Rain."

"Then work together to make sure it wasn't all in vain," Alice countered. "None of us will be able to survive if we don't succeed now. It is literally our last chance."

Jill shook her head, "What do you want me to do?"

Alice sighed, "I just want your head in the game more than it is in the clouds. If you want a chance at any kind of real life with her, then you've got a lot of work to do before that can happen. You've got to stop trying to micromanage her missions and you have to give yourself the time you need to be 100% when you're needed. Can you do that?"

Jill's features softened as she nodded her head, "Yeah, I can do that. I apologize for getting so defensive about it. Maybe I am a little stressed from the lack of sleep."

Alice let a small smile creep up one side of her lips, "It happens to the best of us."

It earned her a smile back from Jill.

"Now," the leader added. "Off the professional record. How are things going with Rain?"

Jill's smile grew wider, "They're pretty good."

"How serious are things getting?"

Jill looked down and thought for a moment, "I don't know. Probably pretty serious. We haven't actually..." she waited to receive a nod from Alice indicating she knew what she was alluding to, "but I think that we're headed in that direction."

"What's the hold up? There's not much better an excuse to do the deed other than the end of the world," Alice joked.

Jill chuckled, "I just don't want to screw this whole thing up. Rain and I don't have the easiest pasts to overcome and then there's the whole 'she's never done this kind of thing before' to contend with. It complicates things."

"Wow, you really care about her! Are you in love with her?"

"I..." Jill searched the room as if the answer would lie somewhere written on the walls. "I hadn't really thought about it in those terms... I know that I care about her a great deal and obviously I want to be around her all the time. It's strange, though. Like, after Raccoon City, the best part of my day would be those few precious moments where I'd actually be able to sleep and not have nightmares. I'd dream about how things used to be or how they'd be after we escaped Umbrella. Then I'd wake up and I'd be sad because I knew it wasn't my reality. Now, even when I have the most beautiful dreams, I still wake up excited because I know that she's here. Is that what love is?"

Alice shook her head, "You're asking the wrong person about that. But it certainly sounds good."

Jill's smile radiated across her whole face as she agreed, "Yeah, it does."

* * *

The clones imprisoned within the Hive were confused as they were all corralled into the auditorium. Their numbers weren't huge to begin with, but after the infiltration they'd dwindled down pretty hard. Kara and Rain peeked out at them through the curtain and waited for them to take their seats.

"I hate public speaking," Thrace grumbled. "They know this about me; I have no idea why they continue to ask me to be the one to talk to large groups of people."

"One: that's not a large group," Rain offered. "Two: You're not doing it alone and three: You're the highest ranking clone in the Resistance. You were the only choice in 'upper management' to send."

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it," she turned to address her friend. "You ready to go out there?"

"Duh, I was born ready," Rain responded. "We're about to tell those people that, not only are they being set free from the prison, but that there is a psychological war going on and we want to recruit them to help stand up for the little guy. Every bone in my hippie engineered body is ready for this."

"Good, then you can pick things up when I start to stutter," she let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Let's go."

They both stepped forward onto the stage and looked out into the small crowd; some of the faces mirroring their own. A table was set up with some of the props they would need and a screen was being lowered to accommodate the presentation that they'd been told to walk through.

"Um... good afternoon. I am Agent Kara Thrace and this is Recruit Rain O'Campo representing the clones of the resistance army. We're here to talk to you about the situation on the surface, your release back into the Hive facility and integration stumbling blocks that may present themselves in the future," she looked to Rain who qued up the first set of videos and nodded.

"What you're looking at on the screen are different news broadcasts leading up to the very last one after the Raccoon City disaster," Rain's presence was both commanding and captivating; Thrace wanted to smack her for it. "This kind of footage you're probably familiar with. It's the 'found footage' after that you are unaware of."

She clicked to a screen that showed multiple video diaries from not only people like Alice and Claire, but many others who tried to document the fallout of the human race.

"As you can see," Thrace started back up. "The world basically turned into a barren wasteland with not much in the way of food, shelter or protection. The only places that were remotely safe were underground Umbrella facilities like the one you've all been living in."

"Or dying in," Dr. Lewis accused in the direction of Tony Stark.

Thrace heard the remark but decided to continue instead of addressing it.

"You know by now from your talks with Alice and Claire that Umbrella was completely responsible for the initial outbreak at Raccoon City. What you may not know is that The Red Queen continues to perpetuate her initial plans of annihilation through all of these functional facilities."

Rain clicked over to the next screen and took over.

"The research you all have been doing, and the 'products' you've been creating, have been used in the fight against humanity for the last few years. Now, the world is not only barren but overrun with the infected, bio-weapons, and massive killing machines."

"We know that you didn't have any clue as to the end results of your labors," Kara said. "You've been lied to by the Red Queen every step of the way."

"She's not the only one's been lyin'," Mal said.

"But... Um..." Rain was starting to worry about the clones hurting each other more than them getting hurt by outsiders. "We also realize that you all deserve just as much of a chance at life as any of the rest of us. So, we're hoping that you'll join us in the fight against Umbrella."

"And what if we don't?" Sheva called out from the audience. "What if we're done fighting?"

Rain looked down sadly and Kara picked up the conversation for her.

"Sadly that's not an option that we're able to give you at this time," she said. "You don't have to be on the front lines and you don't ever have to fire a weapon, but you will have to fight every day to survive. The only option you have regarding that is whether or not you do it with us. And trust me; you don't want to do it on your own above the surface."

The botanist nodded and looked down sadly.

"Which brings me to our next point," Thrace continued. "Your release will be effective immediately after this presentation is over. You are absolutely free to leave the facility if you so choose but I can tell you right now that would be nothing more than suicide. If you choose to stay here you will be returned to your living quarters and allowed to roam certain parts of the premises."

She moved over to a table and picked up a large silver wrist cuff, "Those of you from the security and development department probably already know what this is."

"It's tantamount to a shackle," Hive Rain grumbled from the audience.

"That is somewhat accurate," Thrace took a deep breath and looked to Rain. There was something about the girl's nature that seemed to put people at ease more than her own.

"Look, we have no idea if any of you are hardwired to obey Umbrella," Rain explained delicately. "We aren't trying to keep you tied down, but we need to be absolutely sure that one of you isn't a mole that could blow up this whole operation and kill us all."

"And how will those pretty little bracelets prevent that?" Mal asked, accusingly.

Rain sighed, "Each device is outfitted with both a tracking device and an electroshock failsafe."

The audience of clones erupted in angry chatter that went on for about thirty seconds before Kara called for them all to quiet down.

"Quiet all of you!" she shouted and finally they calmed down. "Look we could have killed every single one of you when we took this place."

"And you very nearly did!" Dr. Lewis shouted back.

"We did what we had to do," Rain argued. "Do you think that was easy for us? Shooting someone with your own face? The face of your friends? We didn't want to hurt anyone; we had no choice!"

"And you dare to call the two different death sentences you're about to give us, a choice?" Hive Rain piped in.

"Enough! Stop it!" Stark's powerful and agitated voice boomed over all of them as he approached the stage. "This isn't a discussion and everybody in this room needs to wake up and realize that. Especially, you two," he said to the girls on stage.

He moved closer to Kara and Rain and they both reached for their side arms. His only response was to expel and amused breath and roll his eyes before reaching over and attaching one of the cuffs to his arm. They lowered their weapons and allowed him to move in just a bit more as he whispered in their direction.

"You're supposed to be leading this little story telling session; start fucking acting like it," he ordered. "They don't get to have an opinion here."

And with that he hopped off the stage and, with crossed arms, dropped back into his seat; waiting for them to continue.

"He's right," Thrace whispered toward Rain. "Playtime's over. They need to know their place."

The blonde looked back out into the crowd and tried to figure out the best way to get them to cooperate. Then, that time-tested human truth asserted itself into her consciousness: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"Right now, everyone in this room is a clone," she asserted. "Everyone outside those doors is clone sympathizers. Everyone outside this facility is not."

She paused so that the information could sink in.

"The days ahead for you are not going to be pleasant for a number of reasons," she explained. "You've basically just been pulled out of the Matrix and inserted into a very unfriendly and scary place. You can choose to make that worse by fighting with us and with each other, or you can accept the fact that this is your reality now. That the people that understand your plight most are the ones sitting right next to you. That the ones who want you to succeed are standing in front of you."

They looked on at her with complete attention.

"We did not come here to ruin your lives; we came here to give you the chance to actually have them. You were disillusioned and isolated before, so much so that you ended up killing yourselves and each other. That stops now. Today you get to make the choice to fight the entity that stole your lives and oppressed you, or sit back, sulk and waste away in your own misery. But either way, you have to make a choice now. There are the bracelets," she held one up, "or there's the door," she pointed to the doorway. "It's up to you."

There were quite a few grunts and grumbles emanating from the crowd as they made their way to the table, but everyone opted to take the wrist cuffs in the end.

"That was a damn impressive rant for someone who doesn't like public speaking," Rain said softly to her counterpart.

"What can I say, I got laid last night; my confidence is at a peak," Thrace dumped on her before moving to help out some of the clones with their new accouterment.

"You little shit; you did that on purpose just to keep me in suspense!" Rain called out as she followed to help move the process along.

* * *

Alice sat in her office on the video communicator with Albert Wesker on the other end.

"You can't be serious," his deep and slow speaking voice.

"And yet, somehow I am," she responded soberly.

"A mixer between the two houses?" Wesker tried to clarify. "That's not only a bad idea concerning the clones and the humans; it's just... well... lame. When was the last time anyone had a mixer; even before the outbreak?"

"Look, we can call it something else," Alice held up her hands; she'd gotten enough grief when she mentioned it to her on-site Agents earlier that day. "I just thought the terminology was apropos given that we are trying to _mix_ the two different sects of the Resistance."

"Fine," he exhaled his disapproval, "we can try this out if you like, but I really don't see the point. Quite honestly letting them fight it out will separate the weak from the strong. Mother Nature is fine with it. I don't see why we shouldn't be."

"Because Mother Nature is blind to empathy. The fact that we aren't is what makes us human. Some of us at least," she said, adding the last part somewhat under her breath. "Anyway, that translates as a benefit in your brain because the more soldiers we have the better our chances against the Red Queen. We need as many people as we can get."

"Much as I hate it when you're right, I must agree," He cocked his head in an effort to crack his neck. "Now, onto other matters. I'd like to discuss the correspondence I sent you this morning."

Alice looked at the screen with disdain.

"We did discuss it," she said defiantly. "I told you that wasn't an option. The conversation is off the table."

"Alice you're being ridiculous," he countered. "This could mean the difference between life and death for the human race, you can't just dismiss it because you like her."

"You have no proof that your little plan will even work and that's not enough for me to allow it," her voice was becoming louder and fiercer. "If you harm one hair on that girl's head I will kill you before you've served out your use to me. Am I being completely clear?"

Wesker clenched his jaw in frustration, but still confirmed, "Crystal. O'Campo is not to be touched."

"Good. Now press that suit you like to wear and put on your dancing shoes," she said before turning off the com unit. "I want full leadership presence at this thing."

* * *

"You've gotta be kidding," Rain said with a mouthful of stir-fry as she sat across from Jill in the Agent's new abode. "A mixer? Like people did in the fifties?"

Jill chuckled at the girl's response for it was the same one she'd had when Alice proposed the idea to her, "Not quite that conservative and un-cool. We won't be listening to rockabilly and eating mini pickles off of toothpicks, but there will be music, food and drinks. She wants us to do kind of a test run and see if there's any possible chance of getting along together right off the bat. I'm betting the chances of that are slim but Alice is determined. She's even making Wesker attend."

"Uggh, good," Rain groaned. "Maybe one of the Hive clones will lose their cool and drop his ass."

"I don't think we're quite that lucky," the Agent shook her head and taking in a few vegetables with her chopsticks. "You wanna know what the worst part is?"

"Oh God, what? Are they going to make us play spin the bottle? Because I don't share well!" the clone warned.

"Neither do I," Jill reciprocated with a devious smile that faded once she described what they were really supposed to do. "No, the Agents are supposed to encourage the fun. You know, socializing, introducing... dancing."

"Oh," Rain understood immediately Jill's reticence over the instructions. She wasn't exactly the most popular Agent around. "Well, don't worry, Kara sucks with the socializing too. You guys can lean on each other and I can help you both out."

"Is your little bestie going to teach me how to dance as well?" she asked, legitimate worry painting her face.

Rain smiled, "Is that what you're most afraid of? Dancing?"

"I'm a scrawny white girl who was thrust into the middle of the apocalypse during the prime of my clubbing heyday," Jill explained. "I didn't really know how to dance then and it's certainly been a long time since I even tried. Seems like a lifetime ago."

"Jill, you're good at literally everything I've ever seen you do," Rain took a drink of water and continued. "What makes you possibly think you won't be good at dancing?"

Jill shook her head and let her chopsticks rest on the plate; anxiety killing her appetite, "I don't know but the whole concept just makes me feel awkward. Not to mention having to do it in front of an entire room of people that hate me anyway."

"Well," Rain nodded her head as she finished off the last of her dish, "I guess there's no other alternative. I'm going to have to teach you how to dance."

"You know how to dance?" Jill asked with mock curiosity.

"Duh, I'm Latina, of course I know how to dance," Rain answered. "Plus, one of the memories I was blessed with from those little geek gods was a Quinceañera. I imaginarily danced my little fifteen year old ass off in my head. I can certainly teach you."

"You think so?" Jill's eyes narrowed as her smile widened.

"Well, we move pretty well together during other activities," Rain became somewhat shy for just a few seconds, which endeared Jill to no end, then picked back up with her bravado, "I don't see why this would be any different."

"I certainly can't argue with that logic," Jill offered her statement with enough confidence for both of them. "Will you show me?"

"Sure," Rain smiled and grabbed their plates, moving them to the small sink in the room. "I'll clean these up; you find something thumpin' on the data pad and plug it into the speakers."

Jill nodded and set off to her task, picking something with a moderate pace and lots of base. She was finished before Rain was and it was all she could do not to move behind the shorter woman and put her arms around the clone's waist. But she knew that would probably lead to peppering the exposed neck with soft and not-so-soft kisses, followed by hands that would start to roam. And if that happened, the dancing lesson probably wouldn't transpire at all. So she waited, gazing at her new 'instructor' with adoring eyes.

Her chest tightened as the girl turned to face her with a smile that shown with such faith and confidence she wondered if she'd be able to breathe properly. Rain was becoming so many things to her in such a short amount of time but, most of all; she was becoming a partner in the struggles of life. As long as she was around, Jill felt as if everything would be ok; that somehow they'd find a way to take on the world together. And so, though she had no idea what she was doing, she smiled back.

"Ok, just kind of find the beat with your hips first," Rain said as she placed her hands on said body parts and helped guide her partner. "That's really the main thing. Everything else basically follows the hips."

Jill kept her eyes on the clone the whole time and allowed her to guide her movements.

"Perfect," Rain praised her, "See, I knew you'd catch on fast. Now loosen your upper body a bit."

The clone moved to Jill's back and placed her hands on her shoulders attempting to guide them in a pattern that looked more natural than the Agent had been emitting prior. Jill did as she was told.

"Like this?" she asked.

"Exactly like that," Rain smiled as she moved back to Jill's front. "You know, you're catching on so quickly I'm starting to wonder if you're really a natural at it and just wanted an excuse to dance with me."

"Do I need an excuse to dance with you?" Jill asked wryly.

Rain smiled and looked down, "No," she answered honestly.

Jill raised her chin, "Then stop theorizing and dance with me."

Rain smirked, narrowed her eyes and moved in closer, swaying her hips in time with Jill's movements and resting one of her hands on the Agent's hip and the other on her shoulder. Jill mimicked her movements and they alternated looking hungrily into each other's eyes and breaking the gaze when it seemed too much.

They moved together beautifully; neither really leading nor following, just flowing. It only took a couple of minutes before their movements became somewhat more sexual in nature. It was Rain who, surprisingly, initiated it. Pulling Jill's hips closer to her own and insinuating a thigh slightly between her legs. As the Agent became more aroused she too started to explore more ground with the young brunette; moving the hand on her hip further back to grasp at a perfectly pert ass while her other hand moved in closer to the girl's heart which was beating rapidly beneath her chest. Finally they'd moved in so close to each other that no air even dared to try to slip between them and they were basically just dry-humping in a vertical position.

"You better not be dancing with anyone else like this," Rain warned breathlessly.

"Believe me, you are the only one I want to dance with like this," Jill answered seriously.

And then the clone simply couldn't hold back anymore and moved in for a forceful and passionate kiss. It was as if she were starting to understand that there was an entirely different necessity to romantic physical expression. It wasn't just about arousal and orgasm; it was about conveying something inside that simply transcended words. Expressing a need that went deeper than thought. And it was a language her partner was more than willing to speak with her.

Jill responded with equal fervor and held her tight; deepening the kiss. Her tongue speared past the barrier of the clone's lips with little resistance and was met with a moan that set her on fire. The agent groaned as she started to slow the kiss and then pulled away to further explore the girl's neck. She tried to be respectful to the natural tint of the girl's skin, but as she made her way across the expanse of a muscular shoulder she couldn't help herself and started to bite and suck in her passionate haze. When she felt a hand pulling her head closer and a groan of encouragement she threw all caution to the wind and proceeded to mark her prey.

Rain wasn't expecting the level of excitement she felt as she experienced the untamed actions of her former enemy. If Jill had done something so visceral to her earlier on in the physical part of their relationship it might have unsettled her, but now... now that there was such a building level of trust constructing itself around them, she found it incredibly arousing. She ached to feel Jill's passion for her; and show the agent her own. And when Jill gently kissed the area which she'd just so urgently assaulted, Rain melted in an altogether different way and wondered how many conflicting feelings this woman could possibly bring out in her.

The Agent followed those actions with soft kisses moving further down the girl's chest until she reached the border of her black tank top. She dropped to her knees and started to pull up at the cotton barrier before seeking out permission.

"Is this ok?" she asked, prepared to stop at any moment.

"You have no idea how ok it is," Rain answered, eyes half lidded and chest heaving.

"Do you promise to tell me if something I'm doing isn't ok?" Jill asked, eyes softening to both assure the girl that she would stop, and to convey that this was probably not the only new area she wanted to explore.

Rain nodded, understanding the implications, "I promise."

And with that the Agent broke her gaze and moved it to focus on the tight and muscular stomach that she'd revealed to herself. She took her time licking, nipping and sucking at the mocha skin that was so smooth against her lips. Rain took care of the rest of the top and tossed it aside before moving her hands into Jill's short hair; encouraging her movements.

The trust and enthusiasm the clone was expressing touched and exhilarated the Agent as she moved one hand to the girls back and one up to a bra-clad breast. Feeling the nipple harden on contact, Jill moaned against the girl's skin and felt the grip on her hair tighten. She took her time at first, simply feeling the shape and the weight of the breast encompassed by her hand, then the urge to gently squeeze the hardened nub simply became too much and she moaned as she did so.

"Stop," Rain breathed.

"Oh God, I'm sorry," Jill stopped immediately and moved stood. "Too much?"

Rain shook her head, "No, you goof! I'm just about to lose control of my legs."

"Oh," Jill breathed a sigh of relief.

"We need to move this to the bed," Rain stated suggestively and held out her hand.

"Ok," Jill agreed as she took the offered appendage and moved with the girl.

As they made it to the bed Jill took the lead again and gently guided Rain to lie down beneath her. The clone directed her hands to the hem of Jill's shirt and tugged at it with questioning eyes and an endearing smile. The Agent smiled back and obliged the girl, allowing the garment to be stripped from her body and tossed toward a destination neither woman could care less about.

The action was quickly followed by Rain's insistence upon removing Jill's bra as well which served to even further excite the short haired Agent. It expressed to her that they were probably on the same wavelength about what was about to happen, so she did the same thing to the woman below her.

Travelling down with infinite slowness, Jill finally allowed their bodies to meet and the feeling was so intense it caused both women to moan. She wrapped her hands around Rain back and neck and held tight as she ground their lower bodies together as they kissed. Rain reciprocated, clutching at Jill's hair and back.

The clone finally spoke as Jill came up for air.

"I never imagined anything could feel this good," Rain said with unabashed honesty. "Is this how it always is?"

"No," Jill said with a somewhat sad smile. "At least, it doesn't always feel this way for me."

Rain smiled again for the hundredth time that night and then allowed a giddy laugh to escape her lips.

"Are you saying that this is something special, Jill Valentine?" she teased. "Do that in front of enough people and you won't have to worry about anyone in the Resistance being afraid of you anymore."

Jill chuckled at the girl's attempt at lightening the mood but answered seriously, "I'd tell anyone who asked."

Rain's features softened and she shook her head in disbelief, "You're incredible, Jill."

Jill's features fell for a moment as she realized that she wasn't ready to hear something that felt so untrue given her previous actions, but she cast those thoughts away. They had no place in that moment.

"I'm not incredible, I..." the Agent searched for the right words to describe what she was feeling and finally settled on the scariest ones to say, "I think I'm just falling for you."

And, with no preamble, she moved back into the girl's lips. She didn't want Rain to feel the need to reciprocate. The clone probably had no idea what she was truly feeling and Jill didn't need the words repeated back anyway. She knew how she felt and that was absolutely enough for her at that moment.

As their actions intensified the Agent moved her hand down to touch the girl's breasts without the barrier that was there before. Diving into Rain's mouth as she traced over her chest with one hand, Jill swallowed the clone's moans with relish before moving her lips lower to taste what her hands had just felt.

As she reached her destination and kissed at Rain's chest she could feel the clone's lower body moving more insistently and Jill pushed her own harder against her as her tongue lapped softly at a dark nipple. Then, as if by its own volition, her right hand started to drag its way down the girl's side, over the top of her thigh and then back up on the inside until it finally settled against the crotch of her pants.

Jill lifted back up to gauge Rain's reaction and was happy to see it fueled with desire. Moving slowly but solidly, she pressed against the girl with her hand and reveled at the gasp that escaped her lips before covering them with her own. After a few more minutes of the pulsing pressure, Rain couldn't take it. But, this time, instead of telling Jill to stop and throwing the woman off, she opted to reach down and unbuckle her belt.

The Agent pulled back a bit with her entire body and helped Rain out of the rest of her clothes. The action was returned by Rain and soon they were both completely naked in front of each other.

"You're so beautiful," they both said at the same time and then chuckled after the admission leaked out into the air in stereo.

But once again, Jill's face faltered and Rain caught it before the woman had a chance to express a concern.

"If you ask me one more time if I'm ok or if I'm sure about this I'm going to leave this room in my hyper aroused state and get ridiculously drunk at the bar around a bunch of sexually repressed people."

This resulted in a full-on laugh from the Agent.

"Am I that predictable?" she asked.

"No," Rain shook her head and stroked Jill's face with understanding, "I've just learned to read your features. I want this, Jill. So much. I'm trusting you. I need you to trust me too."

Jill nodded her head and took in the truth of the recruit's words.

"And I need to be able to look into your eyes when it happens," Rain added, "I don't want you to look all worried."

A small shock hit Jill's system. Was the 'it' Rain referred to an orgasm? Penetration? Sparks manifesting from their ridiculously strong chemistry?

Rain noticed the confusion crossing the Agent's face and decided that, though it was somewhat embarrassing, she probably needed to elaborate.

"I'm talking about when I... get there, Jill," she winced at the sophomoric term but it was already out. "I just need to be able to see you with me when it happens. It's kind of new to me."

Realization painted itself on the features of Jill's face with the colors of shock.

"Oh!" she said; mouth wide open.

"Ok, don't freak out about this," Rain warned. "I've kinda been worried about staying alive and being a clone and saving the world for the past few months. There hasn't been a whole lot of time for me to experiment with that on my own."

"I'm not freaking out," Jill insisted.

"Yes you are," Rain argued, propping herself up farther to argue her point.

"No, I'm not!" Jill said, pushing her back down and kissing her soundly until she could feel her relax once again. Then she pulled back to explain herself. "I hadn't thought about it, ok?"

She waited for Rain to nod.

"But I'm not freaked out," the agent explained softly. "In fact, and I know this is kind of Neanderthal-like but... the idea that I could be the first person to... Well, to be quite honest, it's incredibly hot to me."

Rain rolled her eyes and smiled; eliciting the same reaction from the other woman as she bent down to kiss her briefly before pulling back.

"I'll be right here the whole time," Jill said with desire tinting her tone as she moved closer to the girl and looked her in the eyes as her hand started to move down her torso once again.

She leaned in, kissing with her lips and teasing with her hand as she finally made her way back to Rain's exposed center. Both women gasped at that first touch. Dipping between her soft lips, Jill found such an abundance of wet warmth that her own core ached with intense arousal.

"You feel amazing, Rain," she whispered against the girl's mouth as she slowly started to slide her fingers over the clone's clit.

It was all Rain could do to remember to breathe; forget speaking, and Jill could tell as much. So she made it a point to simply move her body as close to the girl as possible and continue kissing her. After a languid exploration of the outside of the clone's folds she decided simply to take more focused movements on her clit. There would be plenty of time for everything else later. Jill wanted this first experience to be completely about pleasure.

And as her movements increased in both pressure and speed she could feel the girl's hips start to buck more and more erratically. It was driving her crazy partially because of how incredibly arousing she found the girl's pleasure and partially because her movements were serving to press against Jill's own clit; as she was straddling one of Rain's legs. But the Agent forced herself to focus on the clone's experience.

Remembering that Rain had mentioned during a prior entanglement that she liked it when Jill was vocal about things, the Agent decided to utilize a more auditory stimulation.

"Ahhh," she moaned into the girl's ear, "do you have any idea how turned on I am right now, Rain? How good you feel to me?"

Rain was having a little trouble forming full sentences at this point. Jill could make out nothing more than her own name coming off of the girl's lips and it pleased her greatly.

And once it became obvious that she was on the precipice of release Jill moved so that she was in the exact place Rain had asked her to be; looking into her eyes. She could tell that the clone was struggling against jumping off the edge to a certain extent and, once again, she used her words to coax her through it.

"I'm right here, Rain," she stroked her face with her free hand. "Just let it happen and I promise I won't let you go."

They locked eyes after that statement and within seconds Rain's entire body ignited, tensed and screamed in release; causing Jill to tumble over herself and kiss the girl below her with all feelings she was experiencing. She pulled back as the tremors started to stagger in both of their bodies and drank in the look of utter amazement that painted Rain's face.

Jill placed soft, comforting kisses all across the expanse of the clone's face until the girl finally came back from the bliss she was experiencing and was able to reciprocate. Rain kissed Jill with all of her being in that state of euphoric bliss. She pulled her as close as she possibly could until the need to breathe won over the instinct to kiss and then she looked deeply into her eyes searching for something; what, she didn't know. There couldn't be an answer when a question couldn't form. All Rain was at that moment was feelings. And Jill looked at her adoringly until she was finally able to speak.

Exhaling a very long breath, the clone finally cracked out a sentence; "That actually explains a lot."

It was such an odd response to have that Jill couldn't help the exasperated smile that she emitted.

"What exactly does it explain, recruit O'Campo?"

"Why the entire world revolved around sex before it ended," She deadpanned. "I plan to bring back that mentality."

Jill let out a fully fledged laugh at that statement, "Well, I'm happy to oblige you any time you feel the need to further your cause."

Rain laughed excitedly and kissed Jill while at the same time twisting them until she was on top of the other woman.

"Well you can start by not being so convinced yourself," she joked, trailing kisses across the expanse of Jill's neck, "and letting me try to win you over to my side through example."

Jill guided her head back up so that she could look into her eyes, "Believe me there won't be any need for convincing on my part. You were moving around pretty convincingly as far as my body was concerned. We crossed that bridge together."

Rain looked at her, somewhat perplexed, and asked "really?"

"Yeah," Jill answered honestly.

And it was the truth. She'd definitely orgasmed at the same time as Rain. But, there was also something else that was underlying her insistence that the clone not reciprocate. Something that she'd actually not realized up until that moment.

Jill didn't feel worthy of that level of intimacy from Rain.

After everything she'd done... And after all the healing that followed. She still didn't feel like she deserved that kind of reciprocation from the clone.

Rain could tell that there was something wrong. She thought about pressing farther to find out what it was, but she felt that if she did it now it would seem sexually fueled. And, with all the care and patience Jill had shown her, she couldn't possibly think it was ok to pressure her in that state. So, she leaned in and kissed her softly for a few moments trying to convey to her, in this new language that the both spoke, that though she wanted her badly, she would wait if that's what she needed.

Whether or not Jill understood, she pulled her close and kissed her back with an affection that once again touched Rain's heart.

"You know, I think I'm probably going to need a few more dancing lessons before the mixer this weekend," Jill joked in an effort to lighten the mood.

It worked.

Rain smiled and nuzzled into her neck, saying "My pleasure, Agent Valentine. I'm willing to work long and hard until I'm sure you've retained a thorough understanding of the art."

Jill chuckled and stroked her hair, "I do admire your dedication."

Silence washed over the women for a few moments and the Agent had nearly fallen asleep until she was startled from her state of rest by Rain's voice.

"Jill," she called.

"Yeah?"

"I'm falling for you too," the clone admitted, referencing Jill's earlier statement and kissing her softly on the cheek before settling back into the crook of her neck.

The Agent responded by smiling and pulling her closer before kissing her on the top of her head. It was then that Jill realized that her own issues concerning what she deserved of Rain's affection were somewhat a moot point. The girl was going to feel how she felt no matter what. Maybe the redemption Jill sought so desperately existed within those feelings.

She pushed the thoughts away and closed her eyes. Right now Rain was falling asleep in her arms. And that was all she wanted at that moment.


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hey you guys. This is the last chapter in this first Resident Evil tale I've been working on. I do plan to pick things up in a second installment, but this will conclude the first book. I've had an amazing time with this story and these characters and I hope you have as well. I can't possibly thank you enough for all of the reviews you've taken the time to write. Thank you all so much. And now, on with the show.**

Chapter 13

Albert Wesker sat calmly within the confines of the laser hallway. His hands and feet were bound with the strongest restraints known to man. He was about to be executed. If he had any sense of whimsy left at this point in his life he probably would have spent his limited time thinking about past events in his life and possibly making his peace with any number of gods that used to exist in the hearts of men.

But he wasn't a man anymore; not really. He was an instrument that had served its purpose and now he was being retired. Perhaps it was the wrong move, perhaps it wasn't. Either way his fate was sealed.

The doors opened and Alice walked through them with two heavily armed guards and a man holding a camera.

"These are the last words of Albert Wesker before the carrying out of his execution for treason, and crimes against his fellow man," she said, her eyes looking dead-on to Wesker. "Do you have anything to say?"

A smug smile broke across his face, "Documentation for posterity, Alice? Really you shouldn't have."

"This isn't for posterity, this is a warning those who would harm their brothers and sisters in arms," she explained. "Violence against each other will no longer be tolerated. You will serve as the example for what you did to Rain O'Campo."

"And what better way to stop violence than by using it against the offender. I must say, Alice, I'd shed a tear of pride for how sensible you've become if only I had the capacity for such an emotion. You wear the colors of hypocrisy like a badge of honor. It suits you."

"You've murdered millions of people through your connections with Umbrella; you don't get to lecture me on matters of morality," she leveled back.

"Yes, but I also have, in my last few months, put in place the army that could save the human race. Though I would imagine that's not how I'll go down in the books," he shrugged. "History is so very often told by the winners. Of course, I won't be around to see who they actually are."

"I think we're good on those last words," Alice ended the conversation and turned to exit the hallway.

"You know I was right," he called after her, sounding almost bored with his own statement. "You can put on a sad face for the camera all day, but at the very end of it you're happy I did what I did to Rain O'Campo."

"I'll be happy when you're reduced to a puddle of meat on the floor," she replied without looking back."

As the door closed behind her she was the only person to stand at the glass viewing pane to witness the total annihilation of Albert Wesker. She couldn't see his eyes due to the filter of his trademark sunglasses but she didn't need to. She knew what she would see in them if they were within view: nothing. Wesker hadn't been capable of emotions for quite some time now. He was nothing but logic and muscle.

And as the chain link pattern of lasers ripped through him, she realized that she felt nothing as well. Perhaps because she'd been hardened by the never-ending fight against Umbrella. Perhaps because she knew that after all he'd done he truly deserved it. Whatever the reason, it both reassured and scared her all at the same time. The last person she wanted to turn into was Wesker. Because right now, he was nothing more than a bloody pile of waste on the floor. The only person that would curse his passing at all would be the person cleaning up the mess.

* * *

_2 Weeks Earlier_

"Over my dead body!" Rain stated firmly to Kara on the subject of wearing a dress to the approaching mixer.

"Please, please, please," she begged. "I lost a bet with Claire and there is just no getting out of it. I don't want to do this alone and you're my best friend."

"I'm your only friend outside of Claire and she doesn't actually count because you two are sleeping together now. You'll get over it simply because you can't stay mad at me or you'll have no one to talk to about your tawdry escapades with the more likeable member of the Redfield family."

"Rain, please, I'm begging you," she pleaded. "I'll do whatever you want me to do; mall cop duty for a week, foot rubs, back rubs, whatever you want. Just please, don't make me do this alone.

"I don't do dresses," Rain stated.

"Neither do I but I can't get out of this one," she paused, trying a different tactic. "Plus, it probably wouldn't hurt things with you and Jill. I heard Claire telling her about my embarrassing little debt and she said she wondered what you'd look like all femmed up."

"She did?" Rain asked, it wasn't exactly something she'd thought of before.

_Bingo. _

"Yeah, I swear," Thrace answered. "I mean, it wasn't in an 'I hate the way she looks now' kind of way. It was more of an 'hmm, that could be hot' sort of deal."

Rain stopped for a moment and thought about the scenario. She did hate wearing dresses but Jill rarely asked her for anything because the woman was so damn caught up in playing the part of the broody ex-Umbrella drone who wasn't deserving of any kind of fun. If she wanted this, she'd probably never actually come out and ask Rain for it herself. And there were so few things that Rain could actually do for her that were really special.

So, with mild annoyance, she agreed to Kara's request, "Mall cop duty for one full week. I don't care how much you complain about not being able to see Claire."

"Agreed!" Thrace said emphatically.

"And I swear to any god you want to name, Kara Thrace, if this is some big huge joke and I end up being the only person there in a dress I will kill you in front of the entire army. Am I being clear?"

"Crystal," Kara raised her hands up as if she had nothing to hide.

"Uggh, fine," Rain begrudgingly acquiesced. "Now where the fuck do we find dresses?"

"Inside the mall of course," Thrace answered.

"Great, let's get this over with."

* * *

The gym was filled with the sounds of slaps and grunts as Jill and Claire sparred together. They'd started making it a habit about a week after moving into the Hive; finding that it helped both women work out some of their aggression and it gave them time to discuss the goings on in the ranks. Today, of course, their banter was honed in on the coming evening and the fact that both of them would rather fight a bio-weapon barehanded than go to the event.

"I still think she's crazy for setting it up," Claire admitted as she danced around Jill. "I mean, really? Getting a bunch of people that don't like each other all in the same room and serving alcohol. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me."

"Yeah, I know," Jill agreed. "I'm not exactly sure where her head is at on this one but Alice has never let us down before, so I guess we just need to trust her and do as we're told."

"Yeah, but doing as we're told includes being pleasant and dancing," Claire responded. "Neither of which am I good at."

"Hey, at least it's you who doesn't like people and not the other way around," Jill fired back and then missed landing a punch. "Most of the Resistance still hates me for all I've done in the past. You try striking up a conversation with someone who's envisioning slitting your throat."

"I don't understand; you deal with that when you talk to me all the time," the redhead deadpanned and landed a kick to Jill's side.

"Very funny," Jill grunted into the kick as she righted herself and took up a better guard.

"Hey, at least we both have dates, right?" Claire mentioned. "I'm going with Thrace and I hear you and O'Campo have started getting pretty hot and heavy with each other. At least we won't be single losers who can't dance."

"I guess if there is a bright side, that'd be it." The brunette agreed.

"You guys get it on yet?" Claire asked.

"Jesus, Claire! Could you be anymore crass about it?"

"I'm sure I could if I really tried," she answered with a smirk. "I was actually trying to be nice by asking. I already know you did. O'Campo tells Thrace everything and Thrace can't keep a secret to save her life."

"Great," Jill shook her head. "Did she at least tell her it was good?"

Claire chuckled, "I can't remember specifically but apparently there were a lot of 'amazings' and 'insanes' thrown around with a few smatterings of 'Jesus Christs'."

The brunette couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

"Oh my god," Claire rolled her eyes. "Don't get that excited about yourself, hero. You're going to make me yack."

"What? Am I supposed to not be happy about it? Give me a break," she replied. "And stop talking to Thrace about my sex life. It's not like this cheap thing that I've got going on for a little action in my downtime."

Claire raised an eyebrow, "What is it then?"

"It's... I don't know, it's special, I guess," she blushed slightly because she knew that her sparring partner was probably about to make fun of her for it.

"Gross," she replied, stepping up her kicks and punches. "Are you in love with her? Because if you start going soft I'm going to find a new person to knock around."

Jill stepped up her game and finally gained the upper hand against Claire, landing a punch and sweeping her feet out from under her.

"Trust me, that won't be happening anytime soon," She smirked and offered her a hand up.

"What, the going soft, or the falling in love?" she asked as she was hoisted back up.

Jill thought for a moment, then finally answered, "The first one."

"Wow," was the only response from the redhead as she accepted the offer.

There was also something else she was wrestling with but had yet to actually talk to anyone about. She couldn't think of anyone less appropriate to talk to than Claire Redfield but it wasn't as if she had a whole lot of choices. So, as they made their way back to rest on the benches and towel their sweating bodies, Jill finally took a deep breath and let out what she'd been thinking.

"Do you sometimes have problems... giving up control... like, in the bedroom?"

Claire's eyes grew wide, "What the fuck! Did Thrace say that to O'Campo?"

"What? No!" Jill answered "I was talking about me. I... I'm finding it hard let go and just let her take over now that we've become more... intimate."

Claire eyed her suspiciously, as if she weren't telling the truth.

"I promise, Rain didn't say anything," Jill insisted, "Whether or not Thrace told her about what goes on in your bed is another matter, but Rain is somewhat more discreet than your little girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Claire corrected. "We're... being nicer to each other."

"Right."

"Anyway, that's not what you wanted to know, right? You're having problems letting O'Campo take the reins?" she nudged her and chuckled.

"Jesus Christ, I should have kept that to myself."

"Oh come, on don't be so sensitive, it's not that big of a deal," the redhead tried to encourage her. "What's going through your head about it? Some kind of deep seated mental block?"

"No, I've never really had problems with it before," Jill blushed again. "I think it's because I feel like, after all I've done since Umbrella got a hold of me, that I don't deserve to be, for lack of a better word, loved like that."

Claire thought about what the nature of her response should be and finally just went for tough love; her specialty.

"Wow. I gotta say that is some serious pity party, Goth girl bullshit."

Jill's face turned and brow furrowed in anger.

"I'm serious," Claire continued. "You're so worried about all this crap in the past that you're probably making her feel insecure about everything she's doing and you're definitely missing out on reciprocation. Umbrella has already taken away so much from you; from all of us. Are you going to let them fuck with your happiness as well? With Rain's happiness?"

Jill thought about it for a while and finally shook her head, "No. No, I'm not."

"Then swallow your pride, quit acting like some wounded animal and get properly laid," Claire said as she got up and punched the woman. "I'm hitting the showers so we can get this stupid fucking party over with."

Jill smiled and followed suit. Sometimes the best place to get advice is the least likely.

* * *

As Albert Wesker made his way to Alice's private office his eyes surveyed the structure of the Hive. It was one of the older buildings so it didn't have all the bells and whistles of the nicer ones but it would certainly do for a while until they were able to take over better facilities. He knocked on the door of the office before entering and then made his way in.

"Wesker," She looked up from her desk and regarded him. "I trust the trip over was uneventful?"

"It was," he answered. "Let's hope we can say the same about this little gathering you've put together."

"Are you kidding, I'm hoping for the party of the century," she moved around to the front of the desk. "And considering it may be the only party for the foreseeable future, I'm thinking it may very well be."

"It'll either be that or a massacre," he countered. "Either way, I'm sure it'll be entertaining."

She rolled her eyes and he decided to press about another issue.

"I understand that your focus at this moment is on the here and now, but after tonight we need to start thinking about the future," he urged. "Don't get too comfortable and lose focus just because you feel safe now. It will not last forever."

"If you're about to start up that O'Campo conversation again, you're wasting your breath."

"And you're being short sighted," he countered.

"I don't care what my vision is on this, Wesker, we're not talking about this again," she moved into his personal space. "Stay away from her or I swear to God I will execute you as an example to all members of the Resistance. Do you understand?"

He studied her face for a few seconds and realized she was absolutely telling the truth. It was in that moment that he made his last decision regarding his own fate.

"I'm proud of you, Alice," he said with an arrogant smile. "You've finally evolved into the killer we always wanted you to be."

She grabbed him by the collar and ran him straight back into the door, "I am not a monster you son of a bitch."

"I'm sorry," he lied. "Perhaps you prefer dictator."

She slammed him hard against the door one more time and then moved away.

"Get out of my sight."

He nodded and made his way out the door.

"See you at the party, Alice."

* * *

Loud music blared in the grand hall of the Hive as hundreds of bodies bumped and grinded against each other. Dr. Lauren Lewis brooded from a corner with a cup of whatever brew they'd concocted to inebriate the masses. It was obviously working because every single brute that had been living like an animal at the home base location of the Resistance was acting like a complete fool and cutting loose like teenagers.

Perhaps they needed it; maybe even deserved it, but they were also invading the space that had once belonged to the clones. It felt like an invasion and Lauren didn't like it one bit.

"You look like you're having fun," Dr. Helena Harper said casually as she moved to join her.

"Dr. Harper," the blonde smiled softly. "It's nice to see you."

Helena was the only newcomer to the group that Lauren even remotely liked. It's possible that was due to the fact that she was the Resistance's head psychiatrist and the only person that made Lauren feel entitled to her anger and pain over everything she'd experienced in the course of the takeover.

"Not much for dancing, I see." Helena noted.

"Honestly, I'm not much for parties in general," Lauren answered. "I'd rather be on the couch with a good book and a glass of wine."

"Alone?"

The blonde looked at her curiously, "Sometimes."

"I like quiet evenings at home too," the brunette offered. "Perhaps sometime we could share one together?"

_Is she hitting on me? Do I want her to be?_

Deciding she did, Lauren answered, "I think I'd like that."

Helena allowed a smile to cross her face and it brought out one in the other doctor as well.

"Woo!" their conversation was interrupted by a fairly tipsy Sheva Alomar. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but those Resistance boys know how to throw down. I haven't danced like that in... Well ever actually if you take in the whole clone thing, but damn. I think I'm actually having a good time."

"I'm glad someone is," Lauren said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Stark obviously isn't," Sheva noticed him completely alone, probably on his fifth drink. "Nobody wants to talk to him; not even any of us."

"He deserves whatever exile he gets," Lauren spat. "That man is scum."

"Yeah, I know," Sheva said sadly as she took in the lonely director. "But I'm not."

She then sauntered over to social leper.

"Wanna dance?" she asked.

He looked at her quizzically then answered, "Um no, I've still got some hooch left. Don't want to put my drink down. Someone might slip something in it and try to take advantage of me later."

Sheva grabbed the cup from his hand and consumed the rest of its contents in three large gulps and tossed it over her shoulder.

"Ok, now you've got no excuse," she said, offering her hand. "Unless you're just scared."

He cocked his head to the side before taking the offered hand and making his way to the dance floor with the kind botanist.

"You know this is stupid, right?" he said to her as they moved together. "Everyone hates me and they're going to hate you too if they think you're sympathetic to me."

"I've never been much for caring about what other people think. I thought you were the same way."

"Oh, I am," he said. "Just didn't want you waking up in the morning with a throbbing headache and a sense of regret over befriending the unfriendable."

"I can't recall one single time in my life that I've regretted being kind to someone," she said. "Don't plan to start now."

He shook his head and offered a smile, "I guess we'll see."

Then they both shut up and allowed their bodies to do the communicating.

* * *

"Wow, check out Stark and Alomar," Claire said to Jill as they did their public duty and shook their stuff on the dance floor together. "I thought he was going to be a pariah forever."

"Yeah, but you probably thought that about me too," Jill responded.

"What do you mean, I still do," she joked.

"Whatever," Jill shook her head. "Where the hell are Thrace and O'Campo? They were supposed to be here half an hour ago."

"I don't know," Claire said. "Maybe they're still trying to figure out how to get Thrace in a dress."

"Christ, it can't be that complicated," Jill said, her own black skirt and blue top clinging in all the right places.

Then a voice came from behind her, startling her from her conversation.

"I don't know, there are zippers in lots of strange places these days."

She turned to find Rain standing before her in a little black dress that looked absolutely stunning on her toned body. It both softened the girl and added an air of confident allure to her features. Jill couldn't manage any words at that moment.

The shorter woman leaned into her ear and said, "You know, it's rude to stare."

"Actually, I'm fairly certain that's exactly the response that dress was created to elicit," Jill countered. "You look amazing... as always."

Rain smiled, "You look pretty great yourself. Dance with me?"

Jill looked back to Claire and said, "Yeah, sorry, but I can't say no to this request."

"Traitor," Claire deadpanned. "O'Campo, where's your best bud?"

"Getting a drink at the bar," Rain answered as she took Jill's hand. "We split up to try to find you guys. I won."

"Alright, you kids have fun," Claire offered as she moved to find her date.

A slower song started to lilt from the speakers and Jill and Rain moved closer together to move with the softer beat. The shorter girl reached her hands up to the Agent's neck as strong ones wrapped themselves around her waist and settled on her lower back.

"I don't recall winning any kind of bet," Jill noted. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's up with the sexy outfit?"

Rain chuckled, "A little bird may have told me you mentioned something to Claire about wondering what I'd look like all girly and stuff."

"You did this because of me?" Jill asked.

Rain looked up at her and smiled again, "I know that it may seem a little surreal but I really do want to do things that make you happy, Jill. This was something I could do without you having a chance to stop me."

Jill thought back to her earlier talk with Claire and realized she was right. She was depriving Rain of just as much happiness as she was herself. The girl was obviously thrilled at the way she was making the Agent feel. She wasn't going to take that away from her anymore. Leaning in, she gave her a soft, sweet, passionate kiss; trying to convey the depths of her feelings. They both pulled back when things got heated and rested their foreheads against each other.

"Wow, maybe I should steal a few more dresses from that whorish teenager store," Rain said through heavy breaths.

Jill chuckled, "You can do whatever you want but believe me, it's not the dress that's having this effect on me. It's you."

Rain smiled and gave her a semi-chaste kiss before pulling back, "Well, lucky for you, you've pretty much got me."

"Oh, pretty much huh?" Jill asked as if she were perturbed.

"Yeah, pretty much,' she answered as a faster song started to play. "Don't go thinking you've got this thing on lock. Now show me those moves I taught you the other night."

And without another word they proceeded to move perfectly in tandem; basking in the glow of each other's presence.

* * *

"Howdy soldier," Claire greeted Kara at the bar.

She was wearing a deep red dress along with makeup to match. And, though she looked completely uncomfortable with the whole ensemble, she was also totally hot in it.

The blonde turned to her with an intensely displeased look on her face.

"I am NEVER making a bet with you again," she handed her a drink, "and I may kill you in your sleep tonight."

"Who says you're sleeping over at my place tonight?" Claire joked.

"I do," Thrace answered confidently before taking a sip of her drink. "I plan on fucking you until I gain my dignity back."

Claire allowed a full blown laugh to escape her lips, "Guess I'm in for a long night."

"You have no idea."

They both turned to lean back against the bar and survey the dance floor. Somehow everyone was actually getting along and having a good time with each other. Granted, this was basically the best day ever for nearly everyone involved, but still, even without the caveat, it all looked promising.

"Look at Valentine and O'Campo," Kara instructed and Claire followed her gaze. "You think they could be anymore puke-worthy."

"I'm sure if we could hear the lame little love confessions leaking out their mouths right now they could be," Claire answered. "But truth be told there's a small part of me that also thinks it's kind of nice." She paused, not knowing if she really should say the next thing that wanted to escape her lips, but opting to anyway. "I think it's kind of nice when we act that way every now and then, too."

The blonde head turned and took Claire in. She had conveniently started to thoroughly examine the contents of her cup.

"I like that too," she offered and found that her gaze was met with a smirk and shining eyes.

They both looked as if they were about to say something, but their moment was interrupted by Alice's voice broadcasting through the large speakers in the great hall.

"Excuse me, can I have everyone's attention, please," she requested and waited for the crowd to settle and look her way. "Tonight is a night of celebration. We give thanks to all of those who have risked their lives so that we can be here. We mourn those we have lost and cherish those who are still alive. But above all we give thanks to prosperity that comes with working together."

She paused taking in the nods and cheers.

"Tonight is also about hope," she explained. "It's about the hope of the future. A future that will only be possible with the cooperation and acceptance of others. Everyone in this room is a part of that great hope. Our future victories or failures all rest on the strength of that connection. So, tonight I want you all to have a wonderful time. For this one night forget about the danger, the sadness and the anger and let nothing but joy and happiness fill your hearts. Because I want you to carry that with you over the coming years. You're going to need it."

"The acquisition of this facility was a major step in winning the war for the Earth, but it isn't the end. We must charge forward with just as much enthusiasm as we did this past time. To do that we all have to work together. And dissension will not be tolerated. So, drink up. Get to know your fellow soldiers. And perhaps through bravery and understanding, we'll be able to have many more celebrations in the future."

She raised a glass and her sentiment was mimicked throughout the entire audience, "To the resistance."

A loud and vivacious "To the Resistance!" overpowered the room right before the music was turned back on and the party continued to rage.

* * *

As the minutes started to turn into hours and the party began to wind down, Rain moved in to ask Jill a question.

"How long are you expected to stick around here tonight?"

"Alice said we didn't have to close the place down," Jill answered. "She just wanted us here to liven things up at peak hours. Why?"

"I may have made some plans for us to do a little private celebrating this evening and was wondering if you'd like to ditch this place and come with me."

Jill smiled lecherously, "You have no idea the celebrating I could do in private with you."

She kissed her and then pulled back a bit, "Let's go."

As soon as they'd reached the floor containing the garden, Jill had a pretty good idea of where Rain was taking her. What she didn't know was how the girl still had access to that particular part of the facility.

"Surely, you're not going to ask me to break protocol and let you in the garden after hours, recruit O'Campo," Jill joked.

"Oh, I'd never put you in such a compromising position, Agent Valentine," the clone answered. "That's why I lifted Kara's pass card and disabled the garden security cams for the next couple of hours. Nobody will ever know you were here."

Jill let out a giggle as they entered the room, "Of course you did."

Rain led them to a blanket already set up under one of the large fruit trees. Pillows were arranged haphazardly on it and there was a basket nearby containing fresh fruits and a bottle of wine.

"Ok, I know I'm not winning any points for originality here because I've totally already pulled this one with you BUT we weren't exactly doing a lot of the stuff we're doing now the first go 'round," she moved up to whisper in the Agent's ear, "and I think we could have a lot more fun on that blanket this time... if that's what you want."

She capped her sentence with a small nip to the woman's ear.

"I want a lot of things right now, Rain," Jill answered. "And I'm about to ask for each and every one of them."

The tone of the statement drew a moan from Rain's lips before she put them to work against Jill's. The kiss grew more and more passionate as the Agent beckoned with a tongue just outside the clone's mouth and was welcomed in with enthusiasm. Her hands roamed the expanse of the dress until they finally found a zipper in the back and started to drag it down.

"As much as I love the way this dress looks on you, I'm way more partial to what's underneath it," as she reached the end of the zipper, she backed away. "I want you to take it off for me... slowly."

Rain's eyes grew somewhat wide at Jill's request. She wasn't sure exactly where this confidence was coming from, but she did know that it was causing reactions in her body that absolutely approved. She did as she was told and slowly dragged the fabric of the dress down and off of her body until it was finally kicked off to the side.

She kept eye contact with Jill the entire time and reveled in the way the woman's chest was moving up and down as her breathing became labored. She took her time removing her bra but was stopped as they ventured to take care of her panties.

"I got these," Jill stated as she kissed her way down Rain's lips, chin, chest, torso and finally her abdomen.

There, kneeling on the ground she pulled the black thong away from the mocha skin and allowed the girl to step out of them before speaking.

"I want to kiss you, Rain," she said, moving further down the taught stomach and indicating with her lips exactly what she'd meant with her words.

Rain could barely squeak out an 'ok' as she felt the Agent kiss her in one of the most intimate ways. She inhaled deeply and audibly as she experienced the new sensations for the first time. Jill's slow exploration made her knees weak and after a few minutes she knew that she needed to vocalize that problem.

"Jill, I'm about to fall down," she put a gentle hand in the woman's short hair.

The Agent smiled as she kissed her way back up to Rain's mouth and allowed the girl to taste herself on Jill's lips. They both moaned into the kiss as Rain started to remove Jill's clothing as well. Once she was free from the confines of the coverings she backed the girl toward the blanket and guided her to the ground before straddling her waist.

"I want your mouth on my chest," Jill spouted another command and elicited yet another moan from the girl below her.

Rain took her time kissing, licking and sucking her way down Jill's chest until she finally reached an aching nipple and settled her lips around it before gently sucking in causing the agent to moan and grip gently at her hair.

"God, baby, that feels so good," she admitted.

It was when Rain started to introduce teeth into the mix that she began grow louder and more insistent with the movements of her hips. Rain smiled into her task and encouraged Jill's undulating by moving her hands to the Agent's ass and squeezing to her rhythm.

Using the grip she had on the brunette hair, Jill pulled back purposefully and slammed their lips together again. Once again, entering Rain's mouth and plunging into its depths before pulling back to whisper in her ear.

"I want you to touch me, Rain," she moved one of her hands to guide one of Rain's between them, "I want you to feel what you do to me."

As her fingers made her way to the source of Jill's heat she moaned loud as she found copious proof of just how turned on the Agent was. Jill sucked in a breath at the curious but confident touch. Rain started a lavish exploration of the woman's folds that caused Jill's entire body to hum with desire. When she'd finally sated her need to explore, she focused her efforts on the sensitive bundle of nerves that forced Jill's body into a frenzy.

Breathing hard and fast, Jill rode out the amazing sensations flooding her body but finally managed to pull back one last time to ask for something else that she wanted.

"Put your fingers inside me, Rain," she commanded as her eyes burned into her lover's.

Rain did as she was told and was rewarded with a heady moan and another searing kiss. This time, however it was she who took over Jill's mouth. Entering her with the same tempo that she was using with her fingers inside parts further south.

Keeping up the pace and moving a thumb up to flick at the Agent's clit, Rain worked her lover passionately until she could feel her movements become more desperate. And as Jill pulled away she met her gaze with unabashed heat.

"Keep your eyes on mine," Jill ordered. "I want to look at you when I come."

It didn't take long. Rain took the words as a cue to pump harder into her beautiful lover and as she finally reached an earth shattering climax they both held each other with their eyes until Jill finally made it back to reality and rested her head against Rain's strong shoulder. Aftershocks still coursing through her body as they both waited for them finally to abate. When they did, Rain delicately slid out of Jill's warmth and moved them both so they could lie down on the blankets. Staring adoringly as she gave the Agent time to catch her breath.

After a few moments Jill turned her head to look at the beautiful woman who'd just taken her to such incredible heights. She smiled as she turned to stroke her smiling face.

"You are amazing," she lauded.

Rain blushed and moved to kiss the hand upon her cheek, "I'd say we're both kind of amazing together."

Jill smiled, "I think you're right about that," and moved in to kiss her lovingly.

"Rain, there's something else I want but only if it's something that you want too."

"What?" she asked, knowing that there was most likely nothing that Jill could ask her that she would deny.

"I want to be inside of you," she moved in closer, holding the girl to her as if she were precious cargo.

"I want that too, Jill," the clone whispered honestly into Jill's ear and felt more than heard the woman exhale a sigh of arousal.

She didn't have to tell the clone that she'd be gentle. Didn't need to express to her that she knew the gravity of the situation. They both knew each other well enough at this point to hear the words they weren't saying.

Jill settled on top of her, insinuating herself between Rain's legs and kissing her deeply and reverently before sliding lower and paying tribute to every inch of her body. The Agent was savoring the Clone as if she were a fine wine or a four star dinner. Every kiss, touch, caress and squeeze was expressed with a sense of worship.

And as Jill nipped at Rain's hips and once again made her way to her warm, wet center and kissed her again deeply. Her name was mantra on the girl's lips at this point and she worked her tongue slowly and strongly. She stopped only when the movements of the body beneath her became more urgent.

Backing off and making the trek back up to the girl's face, she held her close and looked lovingly into her eyes before moving her fingers down to her opening.

"Just keep your eyes on me, ok," Jill said with a soft smile.

Rain smiled back and kissed her, "That shouldn't be a problem."

Jill kept her eyes on the girl the whole time as she slowly made her way inside the restrictive walls and took in the moan of ample pleasure and minimal pain that escaped Rain's lips. Once completely inside, she gave her some time to get used to the sensations before slowly building up a tempo that was causing more and more sounds of pleasure to permeate the air around them.

With everything they'd done before building up the clone's level of arousal it didn't take long before she knew that she was nearing the edge.

"Please don't stop," she commanded Jill.

She needn't worry. Jill couldn't think of one thing in the world she wanted more at that moment than to feel the walls around her fingers clench and spasm with the girl's release. And once that dream became a reality held her tight and rode out the experience all the way to the end, culminating in one final, sexy shudder from Rain as Jill pulled out of her and kissed her back to normalcy. They held each other close until words were finally a possibility for the spent clone.

Rain's smile shined bright as she softly stroked Jill's face and spoke sweetly, "Just when I think things can't possibly get better with you they do. You find some way to make me feel more everything just by being near me. How do you do that?"

"I don't know," Jill shook her head. "I gave up believing in magic a long time ago, but when I'm with you it feels like something completely outside the realm of reality is happening between us."

They both knew what it was. They could lie there for the rest of their lives trying to concoct different poetic ways to talk about their feelings for each other but it all came down to one word that they were both dancing around because it seemed so scary.

So, instead they contented themselves with lying in each other's arms looking at each other with those dopey puppy dog eyes.

After about thirty more minutes of floating on a cloud of nothing but happy an alarm went off and she groaned at the intrusion on their time.

"We've gotta go," she explained. "The cameras are going to come back on in 15 minutes and as much as I'd like to stay here cuddled up next to you I doubt you want Alice finding out about our special time in the Garden of Eden."

She pecked Jill on the lips and they both grumbled through putting their clothes back on.

"I've got to put this key card back in Kara's room before she figures out I took it," Rain explained. "Do you mind picking up the basket and blanket stuff and maybe we can actually enjoy it together in your room when I get done?"

"I think I can manage that," Jill smiled and moved in to give her one more kiss before they separated.

Rain allowed the ridiculous smile that seemed to have taken up permanent residence on her face as she moved to exit the room. Then, just before she'd made a full-on exit, she turned back to address the woman gathering up their portable nest of passion.

"Jill," she called and the Agent looked up at her. "I love you."

And this time it was her who moved too soon to get a response. She didn't need one. She saw the truth shining in Jill's eyes just before the door closed and separated them.

She nearly skipped all the way to floor on which she and Kara lived. Then, as she turned the corner that lead to the dormitories she felt herself being slammed back against the wall as a sharp pain made its way into her neck and radiated throughout her entire body. Once the strong hands were off of her she fell helpless to the ground in agony.

Looking up through tear-filled eyes she saw the unmistakable features of Albert Wesker.

"I know you don't understand this," he said in his slow, subtle way, "but what I did, I did for the future of the human race. I know I'll pay for this transgression against you with my life and I've accepted those consequences."

And with that he walked away leaving her, scared and alone, to her fate.


End file.
